The Hidden Kingdom
by WhiteNightBlade
Summary: When Jaune Arc sacrificed himself to save Beacon, Crocea Mors was embedded into the tower and was never pulled from it. Two years later, someone is able to move it and takes it. On the hunt for the thief, Jaune's friends discover far more secrets than they bargained for, including a life changing revelation regarding their fallen friend. (AU)
1. Reclamation

**Chapter I: Reclamation**

* * *

It used to be that when people asked what a hero was, they would say it was something you can only find in a fairy tale. That was until someone in real life stepped up and became a hero straight out of those tales, even if he had gotten himself killed in the process. That man was a boy, a seventeen-year-old boy by the name of Jaune Arc, and he was the boy who gave his life during the Battle of Beacon to stop the terrorist Cinder Fall and her associates from toppling Beacon Academy like a chess piece. Now, two years later, his sword, Crocea Mors, still sits, embedded into the ground, waiting for someone to remove it and use it for their heroic glory. Gods know that people have tried, including all of Jaune Arc's friends and teammates from Beacon. No matter how much they tried, they could not remove the sword from its resting place.

One year earlier, those prodigal children had traveled to Haven Academy, searching for answers and revenge, and in their way, they got what they were looking for. A traitor was exposed and taken care of, Raven Branwen was given the severe reality check that she had deserved and had gone into hiding, along with Adam Taurus, and all of team RWBY was reunited. It took awhile, but eventually, all of the team's members once again became the sisters they once were, and they made a vow to stay together, in respect to the friend they had all lost. Although, the process of helping Jaune's teammates over the loss was a bit more difficult and took quite a bit longer.

Now here they stand together, back at Beacon, awaiting the next move for them to make against the Grimm Queen, Salem. However, the effects of Jaune's passing still took a heavy toll on the teens. Ruby Rose had shed a large amount of her childlike innocence since the passing of her first friend at Beacon, though she still had moments of naivete. Weiss Schnee had been living with a soul full of guilt at how badly she had treated the blond boy, wishing and praying to the gods to either give her a chance for redemption in either life or death. Blake Belladonna may not have known the knight the same way her teammates did, but she knew he always cared for the faunus and never discriminated, which she had great respect for; and although she did not know him well, she could still admit that she was grieving and would love nothing more than to see that goofy smile again. As for Yang Xiao Long, the effect of her fellow blond's passing had been a familiar feeling, but it still took a heavy toll as it coincided with her loss of an arm. She missed him nonetheless, and even her big brawler image couldn't stop her from crying for the latest person to leave her.

To say that Jaune's team had taken the most massive hit from his loss, however, it wouldn't be entirely accurate. The passing of their leader had shown lifelong friends, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie, that life was too short to let things pass by, and they finally decided to become officially together. Together, they helped each other to keep smiling, together, they helped reconstruct their friend, Pyrrha Nikos, whenever she fell apart.

Pyrrha Nikos… the invincible woman, the warrior goddess, but the only thing that RWBY and the couple of team JNPR could see was Pyrrha Nikos… the one who loved Jaune Arc, and never got the chance to tell him how she felt. Even then, that missed opportunity was not what broke her the most; it was the fact that, through investigation, Jaune's death had been a moment where destiny lost. While in possession of the Relic of Knowledge, all of the Beacon students and those who traveled with them were shown by the Relic the future that was supposed to be. It confirmed the death of Pyrrha, the victory of Cinder, and the Fall of Beacon; the destiny that was changed for the better because Jaune had stepped up, using the semblance that he had kept hidden, and stopped the corrupted maiden once and for all. Pyrrha Nikos was a firm believer in destiny, and she had seen that it was her destiny to die for nothing, and that destiny was denied because of the will of a single man.

That was months ago, and now, teams RWBY and OLVN were talking and healing together in one of the few common rooms of the school that still stood. During their travels, the huntsmen and huntresses came across a boy by the name of Oscar Pine, who happened to be the latest reincarnation of their fallen headmaster, Ozpin. They grew to bond and train with Oscar as though he was an old friend, and in time, they all unanimously voted for him to become the new leader of JNPR, remaking the team into team Olivine. It was thanks to the shy boy and his little "connection" with Ruby Rose that Pyrrha was able to smile and laugh, the misty-eyed moments and smaller "crush" moments between the two young ones being entertainment for the Spartan.

Although at the moment, there were more entertaining stories and moments to revel in, "So-hic-, so we get there, and almost immediately, Ruby rushes past us, rose petals and all, and she literally runs up the wall. Then she reaches the ceiling but she's in such a panic that she just keeps running, so dad and I are just standing there, watching her run up and down the walls and floor like she's a super hamster!"

Yang's audience fell to their sides laughing along with her while the story's red-hooded subject pulled said hood over her face muttering to herself, "...'s not that funny…"

Seeing Ruby curled up and embarrassed proved too much for the young farm boy as he stopped chuckling and began to laugh like everyone else, causing the not-so-little-anymore red reaper to look up at him with playfully betrayed eyes, "Really Oscar?"

Taking ragged breaths, the reincarnated headmaster tried to control himself, "I- I'm so- hehe… so sorry Ruby. It's just-" he let out a long wheeze of air, "it's just so funny to imagine a little kid doing that…"

Oscar looked as apologetic as he could while regaining control of himself, and it seemed to be enough for the hooded girl, "Ok… yeah, I guess, in hindsight, it is kinda funny." she began to giggle herself.

 ** _'I still don't see why you two haven't decided to try. It has been a year since the two of you met. And ever since, it's been obvious to everyone.'_**

 _'Maybe, but I don't exactly feel comfortable dating someone when I have another person inside my head. Can't imagine she feels any different.'_

When Oscar got, quiet everyone was able to figure out it was because he was talking to Ozpin, or, thinking to Ozpin… even after a year of getting to know the boy it was still weird to them to have their old headmaster reincarnated as a boy only a few years younger than them. What was strange was that the way he chose to dress didn't weird them out as well. He wore a pitch black short sleeved shirt underneath a colonial-like jacket with rolled up sleeves, exposing his forearms, unbuttoned at the chest and with the same shade of dark green his predecessor had worn, only with a small accent of a dark gold looking color. The collar came from inside the jacket with a popped collar like from a dress shirt and seemed to be of a lighter green than the coat. On his hands, he wore black gloves with light green exes on the back of the palms, baggy cargo pants of the same light green as the exes on the gloves and the inside of the jacket, a black belt over the waist, and black shin high working boots. He looked like what his predecessor must have looked like when he was young, and it was nice to see Oscar had dressed as such out of respect.

Over the past two years, they had all changed their style in their ways. Ruby's hair was in the same fashion only slightly longer than before, and her figure had also filled out in the past two years becoming more womanly in her late teen years. She still wore her deep red cloak around her shoulder but had changed her outfit to be slightly longer and added in white sleeves to give off a more "badass vibe" as she would say. Her partner, Weiss, had cut her hair to be shorter, now reaching to her upper back and flowed down her back. Her outfit had lost its white theme for a more dark blue, like fresh ice, with tiny snowflakes at the hem of her skirt and armor from her waist to her breasts. She added some armor onto her shoes reaching up to her knees and added more pouches for dust cartridges on her thigh. It was easier for her to have a different outfit than try to fix what had happened to her high-end dress back at Haven.

Blake and Yang, on the other hand, had both traded their old outfits for something involving a coat. Blake's was pure white and more reminiscent of a trench coat, while Yang had gone for the duster coat variety. The most significant changes for the two were the lack of a bow hiding Blake's cat ears and the brawler's combat prosthetic arm, still hidden by the sleeve and fingerless gloves. When RWBY had reunited, it took those two the longest to make up, but it worked out in the end, both once again becoming like sisters, neither of them asking for anything different.

Unlike their sister team, those that remained from team JNPR had gone through the least changes when it came to their style. Ren and Nora had a few small changes, nothing too notable, but Pyrrha wisely changed quite a bit more, her new outfit taken from the lessons she learned from the Relic of Knowledge. She had let go of her ponytail and let her crimson hair flow down almost like Yang's. She had added armor to her shoulders and covered her whole top half, only leaving her thighs visible. Seeing herself get shot by an arrow in the chest was more than enough reason for her to make it covered.

Surprising to no one, Ruby was the one who spoke up about Oscar's silence, "Hey Oscar, what's professor Ozpin saying?"

The farm boy looked to the blonde brawler with pleading eyes, only to receive a knowing smirk and a shake of her head, _'Oh boy…'_

Ren, seeing the little interaction between Yang and his new leader, figured out what he and Ozpin were talking about and decided to step in, "I'm guessing he said the story gave him an idea for more training, am I correct?"

Oscar nodded his head rapidly, "Yes! Yes, that's exactly what he was saying. Nothing else to worry about or mention."

Everyone around the youngest two in the room chuckled at the boy's expense and the girl's cluelessness, all of them, even Pyrrha, thinking the same thing, _'Young love… so so cute…~'_

When she had first figured out that Oscar and Ruby liked each other, Pyrrha wanted to help them just come together, but when her new leader told her that he didn't feel comfortable dating someone while another soul was living in his head, she understood. That didn't mean that now and then she tried to encourage him to go ahead, but she always tried to do so softly, making sure her help didn't stir up too many memories. Both residents of the young boy's mind understood she was thinking about how she wished she had said something before the Spartan lost her chance with the knight, but neither one brought it up out of respect… and maybe just a little bit of fear.

The teens were so busy chuckling and bonding together to notice something in the distance, or rather, someone, _'So… this is Beacon. This is where it ended… and where it begins again.'_

Standing in a field by the courtyard, a tall figure in a black hooded jacket and black cargo pants gazed upon the once proud structure of Beacon Tower. This figure had come a long way, and it was time to finish the mission. With a long breath of air, the figure dashed across the courtyard and jumped onto the walls, climbing up with ease, the swift movements showing much experience with parkour and climbing. The character was careful, however, making sure the climbing would make no sound, so not to alert anyone who could be guarding the objective. Unfortunately, to the figure, it wasn't careful enough, as the teens in the common room heard a noise and looked to the window to see the bottom of a boot making its mark before disappearing.

"What the heck was that?" Ruby asked the group.

Before he could answer, Oscar began to glow grey, signaling his "houseguest" had taken over, "I'm not sure, miss Rose, but whatever it was, it's heading upwards, towards the tower…"

Everyone looked to each other, confusion evident in their expressions until Ren spoke up, "But… why? There's nothing up there except…"

The confusion was replaced with realization when the green-clad ninja trailed off, and then the concern came into play. Whatever or whoever was climbing the building was heading for the tower, where the only thing left of their friend was resting. With that, they shot up from their sitting places and began to rush down the hallways.

While the teens of Beacon were racing towards the tower, the figure was finishing the climb and reached the top. Looking up from the crouched position, the hooded one found the objective, the target, the blade. The sword was approached slowly, like a doctor respectfully approaching a patient, until the figure kneeled and spoke, the voice revealing it to be a man, "I have come a long way. I have faced many hardships in these lands. I have come to take your test."

His hood still up, the man raised his right fist and placed it against his heart, "They may not know why, but I do. I know that you have not moved because you have been waiting for someone worthy enough to wield you. I don't claim to be worthy, but I give you my word, if you share your power with me, I will do everything I can to prove myself worthy."

The figure stood up and walked towards the sword, his final words soft as a whisper, "And like him, I always keep my word."

As his last words were uttered, the two teams reached the top and found the figure about to grab the pommel of their fallen friend's blade. Before they could stop him, they were stopped themselves, when large waves of energy began to emanate from the sword. Frozen in place, they had no choice but to watch as the figure started to tug on the grip, the contact making the sword shine like a white sun. The light blinded the teens, rendering them incapable of moving and seeing, even clearing their minds of any thought. Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, the light subsided, and all the teens fell to their hands and knees, panting from the intense pressure that was put on their bodies just a few minutes ago.

When their eyesight returned, they all raised their heads, and their minds emptied once again from the sight before them. The figure that climbed the tower held Crocea Mors in his hand, the blade pointed upward and no longer embedded into the tower. For a second, the students thought it wasn't the familiar weapon because the blade shined brighter and looked to be even longer than it once was. Even the grip was different; it's wrappings shining as blue as they were when the blade was forged, the same with its golden pommel. What caught the most attention, however, was the guard at the top of the hilt. Where it was once ugly and dulled, it was now shining as if it was new, the sides shooting straight out before curving upwards, the triangle portion in the middle covering more of the bottom of the blade, and small intricate patterns across it.

The figure tilted his head as he looked over the sword, twirling it in his hand as if he had been born holding it. He moved both of his hands to the blade, turned it over, then placed the pommel on his forehead, whispering something the others could not hear. All of the students wanted to move, to approach the strange person, but they couldn't move with the chaotic thoughts that began to flood their heads. No one, not a single person, not even Pyrrha herself could push the blade from its place, and right before their eyes, someone whom they had never seen before had scaled the tower and been able to do what no one else could.

Once the figure finished whispering, he lifted the sheath, it changed as well, and slid Crocea Mors into it, _'Time to go home.'_

"WAIT!"

Just before he was about to jump down, he turned to see a redheaded spartan huntress with tears streaming down her face, "Please… I don't know how you were able to do that, but please… please don't take the sword… It's all I have left of him…"

His face still shrouded, no one could see if Pyrrha's pleas had any effect on the man as he merely stood there, until he spoke loud enough to be heard, "I don't think so."

The voice was soft and calming, but surprisingly light for how deep it was, "He's always been with you, and he always will be."

He then turned to Oscar and respectfully bowed his head, "My condolences, good mage. I wish I had gotten to meet you before this form."

The farm boy's eyes widened in shock towards the words of the mystery man, an action that seemed more characteristic of Oscar, yet they all knew Ozpin was in control at the moment. More footsteps sounded and all of the teens turned back to see the hooded man standing on the edge, "I can see that parting with this sword is painful for you all. Do not attempt to track me down. It will only cause more pain for you."

With that, he spread his arms out and leaned back, causing him to fall over the edge with a rush of wind. Once all of the teens had regained all of their senses, they sprinted over to where the hooded one fell, only to see absolutely nothing when they looked over the edge of the tower, as if he had just vanished. Pyrrha dropped to her knees, and the tears rained down like a waterfall, her wails sounding like the cries of a mother who lost her children. They all had to grab onto her to make sure she didn't leap off after the thief, except for Ozpin, who was still in control of Oscar's body, looking as though he was trying to solve a universal problem.

 _'Ozpin? What's wrong?'_

 ** _'Whoever he was, he called me "mage," not headmaster… "mage"…'_**

 _'Yeah… that is pretty weird. Who says "mage" anymore? Why not say "wizard" or something like that?'_

 ** _'...'_**

 _'Wait a minute… what is it that's shaking you up like this? The fact that he knew you were in my head and you were magic? Or does the fact that he called you "mage" mean something to you?'_

 ** _'You've been learning well.'_**

"Oscar? Professor Ozpin?" the young boy lifted his head to the concerned looks of his redheaded teammate.

Her concerned look turned to angry glaring eyes once she had her leaders attention, "You know something don't you?"

The fact that the young man didn't back down from the glare told all of them who was in the driver's seat of Oscar's body, "I might, although I am not certain yet…"

Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say more, but her new leader raised his hand to stop her and carefully took in his surroundings, "I just need-"

He immediately ceased speaking when his eyes landed on the center of the tower, where the sword had resided for the past two years, "Someone, make sparks and concentrate them on the center of the roof."

Ruby immediately deployed Crescent Rose and ran the blade across the roof, causing sparks to go flying. One spark landed in the center and suddenly grew to the size of a bonfire, sending the students staggering back on instinct. The flame's edges were blue, and they fluctuated and roared for almost half a minute before they died out. Just before the fire vanished, however, exotic particles that looked to be like ash danced around the air, glowing the same blue as the edges of the flames. When the blue ash dissipated, everyone turned to Oscar, hoping for an explanation from his houseguest, only to turn afraid seeing him gripping his cane so tightly it was in danger of snapping in half. His eyes were showing a burning fury that even a Grimm would be terrified of.

"Professor Ozpin? What's wrong?" Blake almost pleaded to their friend, only to get a growl and even tighter grip.

The anger only started to disappear when the boy looked down to find a gentle hand trying to loosen his own, coming from the little red reaper, "Oscar, listen to me. Whatever anger is going through you, going through Ozpin, help him calm down. I know you can do it, just like he did for you." Slow, deep breaths replaced the ragged growls and the eyes shut, opening to reveal them back to their calm hazel, "I… thank you, miss Rose."

"Alright I've had it." the Spartan had enough, "I know you know something Ozpin. Tell us whatever it is. Please."

Ozpin, still in control, drew in one final breath, ready to tell his next tale, "Salem, the Maidens, the Relics… my first life… what do all of these have in common?"

Everyone looked to each other for only a few seconds before the immortal continued, "Magic. All of it stems from magic. The fifth gift from the two brother deities. When the brothers first created humanity, they watched over them, to see what their creation would do with it's beginning. However, they did not watch from some heavenly plane above Remnant. They watched over from their kingdom. The fifth kingdom: Lothos."

Silence reigned supreme, as could be expected when yet another myth was confirmed as truth, so Ozpin continued, "Lothos was a paradise. While the other kingdoms basked in their gifts, the Relics, Lothos thrived as the birthplace, and the home, of the magic that made it all. Eventually, the other kingdoms became jealous of the fact they had merely gotten the offspring of magic, instead of getting their share of the source. That jealousy that hatred made the Lothonians fear for their safety, their wellbeing, so using the magic they were gifted with, they had hidden the whole kingdom from any sight. At least, until they discovered ways to improve their magic, and for safekeeping, they transported the entire kingdom to another dimensional plane, effectively hiding everyone from all living things on Remnant."

"Wait, then how did you get magic?" Weiss asked.

"I was born with it, the second I was born in Lothos."

Again, a contemplative and tense silence followed Ozpin's words, "In time, it was decided that only a few, select people or families would be able to use the magic, while the rest would be honor-bound to protect the magic. Similar to huntsmen and huntresses protecting humanity here. Now, as far as I know, Lothos is just like the four kingdoms here, with ordinary people, people who use aura, and then there are the people who use magic… the mages. I was one of them, but unlike the rest of them, I wanted to entrust just a little bit of magic to the world that we had left, surely things had gotten better, no?

"Well… the king, his council, and the rest of the kingdom certainly did not see it that way. It was a unanimous vote; they had me exiled. 'If you believe the world has finally changed for the better, then you will not at all mind living there.' And so I was sent to Remnant, without any means of returning to Lothos. That's why I refused to leave my house. I was drowning in self-hatred and hatred towards the kingdom that had cast me out. I haven't set foot in the kingdom ever since."

Minutes passed before anyone said anything; eventually that tense silence was broken by the blond brawler, her eyes turning red with anger and frustration, "You said back in Mistral that you would no longer keep secrets from us. You said that you wouldn't tell us any more half-truths. You said you would leave nothing out."

"Just as you would most naturally leave out anything to do with your runaway mother, miss Xiao Long."

The red vanished, and lilac eyes widened in shock, along with all the other pairs of eyes on the roof. So much had happened at once; Crocea Mors had been removed from its resting place, the one who moved it was from the fictional fifth kingdom, and Ozpin… was angry. The shock of that final fact alone was enough to throw the students, even Oscar, who was mentally connected to the man, off their balance. Upon realizing his outburst, the immortal wizard cleared his throat and looked away, shaggy hair covering his shame-filled eyes. "I… I apologize, miss Xiao Long… I did not mean…"

Yang stepped forward and put a hand on his host's shoulder, her gaze filled with compassion and understanding, "I know Prof… I'm sorry too… I guess after everything we've been through and all the sage advice you've given us, it's hard to remember that you have your scars and traumas…"

A smile found it's way back onto the young wizard's face, nodding up and down in his understanding, "I, guess that it is difficult for me as well. Once I am gone, make sure Oscar remembers that better than I do."

 _'You do remember that I'm still here… right?'_

"So what you're saying," everyone turned to a distraught Pyrrha Nikos, "is that Crocea Mors, the only thing we have left of Jaune… is gone forever?"

Before the young wizard could answer, Ruby sped up and kneeled in front of the crying spartan, "No. No way. We're going to find him, and we're going to get Crocea Mors back."

"One question Ruby: How?"

"Simple Weiss, we do everything we can. If it's possible for the people of Lothos to come to Remnant, then I'm sure it's possible for people of Remnant to get to Lothos. I think we should start with trying what we did here."

"Making sparks that turn into bonfires? What would that accomplish?… other than being a good way to make smores or maybe pancakes."

Ozpin's smile stretched wider, "What happened here was the sparking of residual magic. We create more sparks, and we create more fires, then we may have a trail to follow. Very astute observation and idea, miss Rose."

Ruby's grin was practically sparkling, adorning the blushing face from the praise, "Thank you, professor."

"There are a few problems though." Blake spoke up for only the second time in the night, "He said that if we were to follow him, it would cause pain. Just like taking the sword away from us."

"She's right." the other ninja picked it up from there, "He also sounded like he didn't want to harm us, nor take the sword. So why did he?"

"Perhaps because it was a mission assigned to him by the royal family. Although, I can't be certain." Ozpin answered, "It has been a long time since I have been in my birthplace, and the fact that our 'guest' showed me some respect instead of disgust, I can only assume that the family that occupied the throne in my time has been replaced."

Oscar's body started to glow again, signaling a switch of souls, "I guess that means we've got more questions than answers. But one thing's for certain…

"We've got ourselves a hidden kingdom to find."

* * *

 **A/N's: Wait a minute... this isn't a new chapter for EtR...**

 **Well that couldn't be helped. Unfortunately, due to a combination of work, procrastination, and family issues, I could barely get a few pages into the next chapter in EtR, but I was able to put this idea rolling around my head into writing. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll still be posting on EtR, but due to the growing intensity of my schedule, there will be no way for me to keep any sort of pace for posting chapters. Meaning the time between posts will be unpredictable and sporadic, even for me.**

 **As I said before, this was an idea rolling around my head for a while, and I fell in love with it once I managed to write it down. In a way, this is a small experiment, but one I'll be taking seriously. This is also the last thing I'll be posting before Volume 6 comes out this Saturday, before everybody leaves this site and never leaves Rooster Teeth.**

 **Until then, however, be sure to let me know what you think of this story. You're always welcome to leave suggestions, comments, and constructive criticism, actually I encourage it in fact.**

 **Huge thanks to SunWukongMogar for being the beta for this chapter and hopefully the next chapters to come. I do not own RWBY, it is the intellectual property of the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

 **'Til next time!**


	2. Gravegate

**Chapter II: Gravegate**

* * *

All great journeys begin not just with a single step, but also with spirits that shine brighter than the sun at the prospect of adventure. "I think I'm gonna throw up…"

Unfortunately, such spirit did not last long for the new journey of RWBY and OLVN. Initially, their souls did indeed burn bright to energize them for the mission, but their next day at sea had been somewhat of a downer, especially on young Oscar. After Ozpin had to order Pyrrha and the rest to get some sleep practically, all eight of the experienced huntsmen and huntresses in training went to sleep for a few hours, getting some rest before getting started. Once the next morning came around, the teens all tried out Ruby's idea of following the traces of magic. It worked surprisingly well as it seemed the person they were chasing left behind traces of magic wherever he went, but it stopped working once the trail ended at the docks.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the one they were chasing got on a ship, but that fact still provided a challenge for the students. They had spent the whole morning talking to the workers and even people who lived near the docks, almost begging those they spoke to for information regarding the mysterious figure from the previous night. Eventually, they came across a dock worker that was on his shift earlier and saw a hooded man carrying a blue and gold longsword on his hip board a ship. With the harbormaster's help, they found the name of the boat they were looking for, as well as its destination, all they had to do was approach a ship captain that was willing to take them.

"I see you don't have much in the way of sea legs, do ya son?" their captain asked as Oscar released another round of breakfast into the water.

It took another few hours, but later that day, a familiar captain happened to arrive in Vale and gladly volunteered his ship for the journey. While waiting for a boat, the same vessel and captain that carried Blake to Menagerie the year before, as well as her family and their Faunus militia to Haven Academy, arrived in port and happily gave his services to the familiar students. In the year that passed since first meeting Blake, the captain's beard had grown to reach his chest, while the hair below his cap had been cut to resemble a standard military cut. Although his appearance had changed, his humor and personality hadn't changed a bit, "Just shut your eyes and breathe through your nose. Nausea should slowly dissipate."

Oscar was more than grateful for the advice, "Thank you, captain. I'll be sure to- hurgh-", and it couldn't have been given at a better time.

As Oscar released his food from his stomachs imprisonment, the rest of the students stood a few cautious feet away, sending sympathetic glances and silently giggling at the new youngest leader. The chuckling wasn't out of entertainment from their friends suffering, but more from a place of remembrance, fond memories of a simpler time, when the first "vomit boy" was not almost entirely taboo to mention. Although it had been nearly two years, there were still some things about Jaune his friends wouldn't bring up out of pain, but there were still moments they remembered with smiles on their faces.

While growling like a sick dog, the young farm boy had finished his regurgitating, and slid down the railing like a body after being shot by a firing squad, "I don't know if I should eat anything else before we get to the island… uuuuggghh…"

"Nope!" Ruby popped her head up, "Nope! No way Oscar! We can't have you dying from starvation before we even get where we're going."

"I'll take going out like that. At least then I won't have anything to throw up over the side of the ship." Oscar moaned like a whining toddler.

"Aw, don't talk like that, team leader!" Nora practically teleported next to the poor boy, "Come on little cutie Ozpin! Wouldn't you rather have something in your stomach to get rid of rather than risking throwing up your whole stomach?"

Oscar would have blushed as red as his new partner's hair, but the thought of throwing up his stomach turned his face to a shade of green similar to his namesake, "Oh gods…"

 ** _'Oscar? As soon as you're able to breathe without launching food like a catapult, please remind miss Valkyrie not to call us that.'_**

The boy's head lowered in defeat from his situation, and the rest of the passengers chuckled at his expense, until Blake stepped towards the captain, "Thank you again for taking us where we need to go. From what I understand, not many sailors want to go to the island we're looking for."

A warm smile could be seen beneath the white beard of the captain, "Ah, don't sweat it. I know for a fact that you and your family are good people, so it stands to reason that your friends are good people as well."

Warm smiles spread among the students at the praise, though the first smile disappeared after a ragged laugh, "Still, you are right about the fact that not many sailors like to go anywhere near the island we're headed to. 'Specially with all the stories of the place and its history."

For the second time in twenty-four hours, the students all looked to each other in confusion. When the harbormaster found the destination of the ship they were looking for, he ran his throat dry trying to convince the teens not to follow. Even their friend hesitated to allow them on board when they told him where they wanted to go, but luckily the old sailor could say that whatever they were chasing meant a lot to the young warriors, so he still agreed. Yang decided to be the one to ask the question that wracked their minds, "What is it about where we're headed that scares people? I've never even heard of the island up until yesterday."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't know of it unless you're a sailor. Gather 'round, I'll explain." their captain gestured for the students to come closer so they could hear, "This island we're headin' for, back when it was civilized in ancient times, it was called 'Obsidia', but you've only heard of it by the new name, Gravegate."

The red reaper's body shook as a chill flew down her spine, while the bombastic ginger was more evident with her being spooked, "Well that's just creepy."

The old captain barked out a laugh, "Indeed. You see, the people who lived on Obsidia lived on the shores, away from the volcano in the center. Being so close to a volcano pushed them to do whatever it took to survive, and in time, they not only survived but thrived. They called it Obsidia because the island was rich with obsidian, volcanic glass, and they used their near-endless supply of obsidian to amass a fortune. You name it, most likely they sold it; art, weapons, they made the most beautiful obsidian items and sold them as such. Decades passed, and everyone in Remnant knew of the island of wealthy obsidian dealers, even those who you didn't want to have heard the sound of money.

"After years of minding their own business and bathing in their fortunes, a near fleet of pirates bombarded the land and pillaged the place. The bastards left no prisoners, and by the time they finished, all that inhabited the island were pirates and animals of the surrounding water and forest. However, that's not what paints that island as darklands; it's what followed after the attack of the pirates that puts fear in sailors' minds. Those pirates decided to settle and make their republic on the island, but then… nothing.

"No one truly knows what happened. Some say that a dark force possessed the pirates and had them all kill themselves the same way they killed the villagers. Others say that the guilt of committing such a monstrous act got to even their black hearts, leading them to dismantle their ships and resign themselves to die in repentance for their killings. Then, there are those that believe they didn't kill themselves or each other, but awakened and angered something powerful enough to kill all the pirates and destroyed all of their ships. All anyone knows today is that if you were to sail above Menagerie, you would look towards Anima, and you will see a large island surrounded by shipwrecks and an eerie fog hiding the top of its volcano. You would look, and you'd know you're not looking at an island, but a gate to an early grave."

Cold.

Not a single spine around the captain felt anything other than cold. The whole history and all of the rumors of the island were enough to freeze over a lake. Even after the last two years, RWBY and OLVN kept finding out just how deep into the darkness humanity had fallen.

 _'Professor? Did you know anything about that?'_

 ** _'Not to my immediate memory, but by no means does that mean I don't know anything. Ask the captain if he knows the exact point in time this happened.'_**

"Excuse me, captain, but when exactly did all of this happen?" Oscar looked up to their ferryman once he and Ozpin were done talking.

The captain raised his hand to his chin in contemplation, "Hmm… if memory serves, the pirates took over Obsidia about, er, a hundred years before the Great War. Then whatever the rumors of what happened to them started spreading a year or two after the fact."

Ozpin took in the information and became quiet as he thought on it, and the captain noticed the thoughtful silence, "Why do you ask lad?"

If Oscar weren't as tan as he was, he would have paled white like a deer in headlights, but his spartan partner came to the rescue, "Oh nothing, it's just that Oscar here is a bit of a nerd when it comes to history, he likes to joke about reincarnating since he knows so much."

Surprisingly, the old captain took the answer and barked out another jolly laugh, "Haha! 'Reincarnation'! Haven't heard that one before, haha!"

With that, the captain decided to take his leave, and he headed back to the bridge, leaving the students to release a collective pent-up breath they didn't even know they were holding in.

 _ **'It seems we need to work on your quick thinking, especially when it comes to being on the spot.'**_

 _'Alright, alright, I'll ask Blake and Ren to help me out with that, but what about you? You remember anything from your old lives about Obsidia, or I mean Gravegate?'_

 ** _'As a matter of fact, I do. Tell everyone to meet us in one of the bigger rooms of the ship tonight, and I will explain myself. Just tell them to call their families and tell them what we're all doing, and we will do the same with Glynda, Qrow, and General Ironwood.'_**

 _'Are you sure? Don't really want a repeat of what happened when you got angry two nights ago.'_

 ** _'Your concern is appreciated, Oscar, but as miss Xiao Long said, I made a promise that I would keep no more secrets. I still need to make good on that promise, no matter how painful or, pointless it may feel.'_**

Once they sorted everything out, Oscar explained to everyone that Ozpin had something to tell them himself, and he would do so at night in the most significant room of the ship. He also told them to inform their families and friends on the mainlands on what they were doing. Ruby and Yang decided to talk to their father together. Blake would notify her parents and Sun, Weiss would speak to her sister, while Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren would call the Arcs together and tell them what happened to their son's sword. To communicate with those on land, they decided to take turns before they all gathered together in the community room, which was not only the biggest but also the only place on the ship capable of communicating outside of it.

* * *

"So how are we gonna tell dad we're going on another adventure without him trying to talk us out of it?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"Come on, Yang. You and I both know he won't try anything like talking us out of it once he knows why we're doing it." Ruby answered, even though she knew her sister was sarcastic.

The community room of the ship looked reminiscent of the living room one would find in a tropical villa. In the center of the room was a simple round wooden coffee table with a port in the center for transferring scroll displays to the big screen. Around it was two curved couches, separated by a small set of stairs through the center, making any people who would sit on the couches face the television or the table, depending on where they looked.

Both of the sisters sat on the ends of the couches closest to the small stairs as they called their father. It took a few tries, but after a couple of minutes of ringing, the television lit up and revealed the familiar face of their father, Taiyang Xiao Long. The gold stubble that was once there was replaced by the small beginnings of a beard, something the two sisters begged their father not to grow, but he went ahead with it anyway. His dark blue eyes widened in recognition as a smile spread across his face, _"Hey girls!"_

The two sisters smiled in return and waved as they greeted him back, "Hi dad!"

 _"Well, this is a surprise!"_ Tai chuckled at the happy faces of his daughters, _"It's been a while since I've seen you two."_

It became Ruby's turn to chuckle, only her chuckle was more of the nervous variety as she remembered the last time they talked was the first time since she left Patch, "Yeah, sorry about that dad. We've just been busy is all."

While Tai still didn't know precisely what her daughters and their friends were doing for the past year, he still managed to figure out it was intense, but he decided it would be best not to pry, _"So anyway, what's the occasion? You girls miss me?"_

"Come on, dad! What kind of question is that? Of course, we miss you, we just needed to talk to you is all." the red reaper asked her father back.

 _"Okay then, what did you need to talk about?"_ neither the reaper nor the brawler answered right away, but they looked to each other, silently asking the other what to say, and Tai lept to conclusions, _"Ruby? Is this about that boy you told me about? Oscar… wait a minute… RUBY?! DID YOU AND HE-"_

"NO!" the sisters screamed in unison before Ruby let her opinion on that little freakout known, "EW DAD! WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT?!"

 _"Sorry Rose Petal, I'm just looking out for you. Besides, I told you there was something off with that kid like he was hiding something."_

Yang pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head, _'Maybe it would be best if we told him about Oscar and Ozpin… wait… WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING?! I TEASE THOSE TWO ALL THE TIME, BUT DAD WOULD FLIP IF HE KNEW ABOUT THAT!'_

"No dad, Oscar isn't the boy we called you about." the blonde brawler drew in a long breath to prepare her explanation, "We called about our friend Jaune."

Taiyang turned quiet at the mention of that name. He knew about Jaune from the letters that Ruby wrote him during her first year, and then he got to know his team when everybody came to Patch. He listened to both his daughters, their teammates, and those who remained from team JNPR talk about their fallen friend and all the things he had done for them and the good times they all had together. Tai would even admit when he was asked that he wished he had gotten to meet him, but that was a thought for another day. When he last heard of Jaune was the last time he saw his daughters, when they all visited him in Patch months earlier.

" _Jaune? What do you mean this call is about him? Is something going on with his family?"_

That was a question the sisters shuddered as they didn't even want to think about until after Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora called them later, "No dad… or at least we don't know."

Confused was a step below what Tai was feeling, _"Then what about Jaune is the reason you're calling?"_

"Well dad, do you remember how in the two years since Jaune died, no one had been able to move his sword and shield from their place?" Tai nodded, prompting the brawler to continue, "Well, it moved."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, _"What? How is that possible? You said that not even you or Pyrrha Nikos could move it."_

"Yeah, none of us could." Ruby picked up from there, "But two nights ago, someone scaled Beacon tower and pulled out the sword! There were blinding lights and huge waves of energy keeping us from moving, and then when the light faded, we saw the sword had just magically transformed in the hands of the guy who pulled it out of the roof! Once he pulled it out, he just sheathed it and ran off!"

 _"Seriously?! Did any of you manage to get a good look at the guy who pulled the sword? How do you know it was a guy?"_

"No, he was dressed in all black and wore a hood so that we couldn't see his face." Yang took over, "When we tried to confront him, we begged him not to take the sword. I mean, it's all we have left of our friend, and he responded with a voice that could only have been from a man."

With all of the information laid bare before their father, Ruby took the opportunity to explain what they were doing, "That's why we're calling dad. We wanted to let you know that we're all going after the thief who stole Crocea Mors, and it's looking like we might not be able to talk for a while. Just wanted to let you know, so you didn't call us at Beacon when we weren't there."

Tai nodded in understanding and pride at the loyalty his daughters were showing to their fallen friend, _"Got it. Thank you both for letting me know. Give my regards to your teammates and Jaune's old teammates, and let me know when you get the sword back."_

Determination shined through the sisters' eyes as they smiled at their father, "Thanks dad, and don't worry, you'll be the first one the two of us call when we get it back."

With that, the Xiao Long family all said their goodbyes before the call ended and the sisters slumped back into the couches, "See Yang? Told you he would understand."

Yang giggled at her sister's attitude, "Yeah, yeah. I know Rubes. I was never anxious about that. Honestly, I was worried about what he would say about Oscar, considering… you know."

The reaper's face took on the same shade of red as her cape, "Yang! Can't you all just stop that?! It's not funny… besides, I doubt Oscar would want to try anything while Ozpin is still in his head."

The blonde brawler smiled solemnly, "Yeah, makes sense that he'd want to wait until Ozpin… disappears and all that's left is Oscar and what our old headmaster had taught him. Still, it's not like I don't trust Oscar."

"Yang-"

Ruby's sister cut her off as she continued, "Look, after everything we've been through, I can't find it in myself to trust Ozpin, especially after everything he's done. However, that doesn't mean I don't understand the old man. Just because his soul has been around longer than any living thing, it doesn't mean that he knows and understands everything. All these lives he's lived, I'm certain he's lost people and things that mattered, and that feeling and all the other kinds of bad feelings can lead us not to think clearly. After experiencing so many losses and pain, I honestly don't know if I would do something different from what he did back at Beacon. How could I think clearly and see the line between right and wrong if I had such anger and sadness haunting me?"

The team leader looked at her sister with the same solemn feeling in her eyes, "Yang, I'm glad that you've become so understanding of Oscar and especially Ozpin, but what does-"

"I'm just trying to say that I understand that Ozpin is Ozpin and that Oscar will be Oscar, only when Ozpin… I don't know, 'fades away', it'll just be Oscar with Ozpin's memories and feelings." Yang drove her point through, "Pretty soon it's just gonna be Oscar, and when that time comes, I don't want you to make the same mistake I did."

'Wait… what? What mistake?' Ruby's mind drew a blank as she tried to understand her sister's cryptic words.

The brawler looked to her feet and laughed at her sister's confusion, but it was a sad laugh, "I probably shouldn't have said that…"

"Yang? What mistake? When have you ever made a mistake with guys you liked? I don't even remember there being a guy that you had a crush on." Ruby tilted her head, trying to look her sister in the eyes.

She didn't need to try hard as her questions brought Yang's head up to meet Ruby's, "There was only one, and now it's too late for any of us to think about it since he's gone."

If Ruby's mind were a factory, its gears had suddenly stopped for a minute until they slowly started turning again and went into overdrive, "Jaune?! Yang?! Did you have a crush on Jaune?!"

Yang's lilac eyes looked back to the carpet before she looked back to her sister, her lilac orbs filled with resignation and sadness, "Well, not exactly full-on feelings, but yeah, there was something there in my heart."

A vortex of thoughts started swirling through Ruby's mind faster than her semblance, and Yang could tell, so she thought it best to explain, "I mean, I thought the idea was a shock too, considering the first time I met him was when he puked on my damn shoes. Except, as I got to know him, I sort of began to feel like there was far more to him than just being 'Vomit Boy'. As time went on and we started to become friends with him and his team, I learned a lot of cool stuff about him. I mean, I had enough trouble dealing with you while growing up, he had to deal with seven sisters at once, both older and younger."

The two shared a light laugh at the memory of the blond knight shuddering as he thought about his sisters, "I mean, that alone bought him a ton of respect from me, but then I started to see a bunch of other things. When the Vytal festival was starting, I thought back to all the good times we had before everything became business and prepping for the tournament. Looking back, I came to realize a bunch of things about Jaune. I mean, back when he was chasing Weiss, he never flirted or anything like that with any other girl in the school. That's pretty loyal, and then there was the time he willingly put on a dress at the dance to keep his word to Pyrrha.

"For as dull and dumb he was when it came to being and interacting with humans, he was still a good guy who followed through on his word. I guess, thinking back to all the times he kept his word and did whatever it took to get better for our sake, I started to see that he was probably one of the few people in this world I could rely on and trust to stick around. I thought about maybe asking him out and seeing if our date could show us if there was something between us but… you know…"

Ruby had no idea what to think, all that she could think was how there was no sign of joking, her sister was completely serious, "Why did you never talk about it? Talking about what happened to Jaune helped out the rest of us, so why didn't you ever bring it up?"

The brawler scoffed at her sister's cluelessness, "Sis, do you really think it's a good idea to bring up a small crush in front of the girl who practically fell head-over-heels for him?"

Ruby was not deterred, "You really think that you weren't the only one with something of a crush on him while Pyrrha fell in love?"

It took a minute, but the words obviously registered through Yang's mind when her head shot to Ruby's, the sadness in her lilac orbs replaced with realization, "Yeah. He was the first friend I made at Beacon. He helped me when I got myself in the crater in the courtyard, how could I not feel like something was starting between us?"

Yang responded by looking back down in shame, "And when he died, it hurt. It hurt a lot, but I thought about how much Jaune wanted to be a hero and protect the ones he cared about, and that's what he did. He died as the hero he always wanted to be, but he also died protecting us, his friends, and I don't need to go back in time to that night and look directly at him to know he was smiling. All he wanted that day was for us to move on and live our lives, and though we may never move on, we still have to live our own lives, not for our sake, but for his, and that means we need to talk."

The wall of cascading golden hair prevented Ruby from seeing her sister's face, but she looked at the floor below her, and she could see the darkening wet patch of carpet. She moved Yang's hair out of the way, then her eyes widened when she saw the trails of tears running down the brawler's face, but instead of sadness, her eyes overflowed with pride, along with her smile. Yang thought she was supposed to be the grown one, the one who gives the sage advice and helps her little sister through a tough time, yet here she was, suddenly feeling lighter in her soul and all thanks to her little sister. All the years of raising her sister suddenly rained down on the brawler, and pride overwhelmed her.

With a shaky breath, Yang launched at her sister and enveloped her in a crushing hug, "I love you so much sis, and I'm so proud of you!"

Ruby smiled and began to tear up herself as she brought her arms around her sister's form, "I love you too Yang."

* * *

After the sisters were done getting their feelings off their chests, they told their teammates that the community room was open and it was their turn. While their teammates were talking to their father, Weiss and Blake decided to call their people at the same time, seeing how it would save time. The heiress and Faunus walked in together, placed their scrolls in the communication port, and waited for their calls to be picked up. Since there was going to be many people in the group call, the wooden panels on the two sides of the television opened up to reveal two more screens, so everyone involved would be seen equally. When all the calls went through, the presence in the room consisted of Blake, Weiss, Winter on the left screen, Blake's parents in the middle screen, and Sun and Neptune on the right screen.

Usually, Weiss would have stepped up, thanked everyone for coming and went on with business but, well, Sun Wukong. _"Hey everybody! What's up? It's been a while hasn't it?"_

Even though Ghira had somewhat gotten used to Sun's personality, it still wasn't something he enjoyed, _"Blake, what is this about? And why are they in this call as well? No offense to you, Specialist Schnee, I'm sure you know who it is I'm talking about here."_

A small smirk appeared at the corner the Atlesian specialist's lips, _"None taken, Mayor Belladonna, I know who it is you're talking about. It's a pleasure to see you as well, sister."_

"To me as well, sister." the heiress coughed into her fist like a businesswoman about to begin a pitch, "You all have my apologies for this rather, unorthodox call. Blake and I thought it the most efficient and quickest way of letting all of you know. Teams RWBY and OLVN will be unavailable for communication as we are taking a supervised leave of absence from Beacon for the time being, for a rather… personal mission."

Winter was caught off guard at her sister's declaration of going on an unofficial mission, _"Weiss? What do you mean 'personal'?"_

Sun chuckled before he stepped in, _"Let me guess… going on some journey to destroy a dark object of power or chasing after someone that could be part of the plot to destroy all of Remnant?"_

Ghira groaned in annoyance, but his daughter stepped up before he could voice it, "Someone's stolen Crocea Mors from it's resting place and is headed for an island north of Menagerie called Gravegate."

The only pair of eyes that weren't widened in surprise from the mission was the specialist's, _"Crocea Mors? Isn't that the sword that belonged to-"_

"Jaune Arc." Weiss answered her sister before she could finish, "Our classmate and friend, who gave his life two years ago during the assault from Cinder Fall. Until two nights ago, the sword could not be moved from its place at the tower."

The large Faunus mayor leaned into the screen, _"Then what the hell happened to get it to move? And who stole it?"_

"We don't know." Blake took over, "We were all together in a common room when we heard someone scaling the academy's structures, headed for the top of the tower. When we attempted to confront him, a blinding light emanated from the sword with an intense power pushing us to our knees. As we readjusted ourselves, we looked up to see the sword had not only been pulled from the tower but had also, somehow magically changed its appearance. The next day, we managed to track down the one who stole the sword to the docks, and with the help of its workers, discover where the thief was headed. We're currently on board a ship bound for the same island in pursuit, and that is why we may not be reachable for an unknown time."

It was a ton of information, and a contemplative silence followed the Small briefing Blake laid out. Winter did not know Jaune personally, but she had heard all the different words used by her sister when the boy was still alive, then the words she used after he died. Learning that the only thing left of him her sister and her friends had was gone garnered sympathy from the specialist, but the soldier in her couldn't help thinking it was too personal. _"Weiss, Blake, I understand why this mission would mean much to you two, but be careful with your personal feelings if you continue on this mission."_

"Your advice is both noted and appreciated, sister. However do not think that we will be deterred from this mission just because it is, in all ways, personal for us. We will be following through, and your advice will help us through this mission."

Winter sighed in resignation, despite being the daughter that stayed behind with their father, Weiss was always the more rebellious of the two, _"Very well. I wish you luck with your mission and await word of your success. Thank you as well for informing me of your current mission."_

Nodding, the Atlesian specialist signed off, leaving only the Haven students and Blake's parents on the line, and Sun took that as his moment, _"Blake?"_

The cat Faunus looked over to her fellow Faunus and his friend on the screen, _"Jaune was one hell of a good guy. Some of our fondest memories from Beacon are hanging out with the guy, and he was as much of a friend as the rest of you. We never got to hang with him as much as you guys, and you both know that the two of us wish we could've hung out with him some more."_

Neptune put his hand on his partner's shoulder and took it from there, _"So when you find the guy that stole his sword, give him a few good hits for us."_

The monochrome duo smiled at their boyfriends on the screen, "You have my word as a Schnee. When we find him, that thief will not escape what's coming to him."

 _"We're sure about that, Ice Queen."_ Blake couldn't help but giggle as the heiress groaned at the old nickname, until Sun got her attention again, _"And Blake?"_

"Hmm?"

 _"Whatever happens, remember you've got your team watching your back, just like you're watching theirs."_ the monkey Faunus' cocky face turned into one of concern, _"And be careful. Please?"_

Blake looked over to her teammate, who figured out the silent question she was asking, and the heiress nodded with a mischievous smirk, prompting her teammate to turn back to the screen, "You got it Sun. Just be ready for me when I get back~."

She placed her right hand on her hip as she leaned into it and winked at the screen, the heiress taking her lead as she blew Neptune a kiss, "Same to you Neptune~."

The two blushing boys struggled to disconnect before the screen went black after a few fumbling noises, and Kali giggled like a schoolgirl, _"My, my, you two are quite devious. I see those books, and I have taught you well Blake."_

At the mention of "the books", Blake's head fell into her hands as her teammate began to laugh at her expense, all while Ghira didn't know whether to be angry, embarrassed or amused at the situation. Then the specific actions that unfolded before him registered in his mind and his look of confliction took on one of concern as he faced his daughter. He remembered something she told him while Sun was out in Kuo Kuana and it was just the two of them and Kali, and he needed to address it, _"Blake?"_

His daughter's eyes lifted away from her hands and back to her father, _"If you are truly going to try a relationship with monkey boy, does he know about the last boy you had feelings for?"_

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of the Faunus' head as she scoffed, "You mean Adam? Father, don't you remember the two of us taking on Adam together?"

Ghira's eyes narrowed at his daughter, _"I'm not talking about Taurus, Blake, I'm talking about the boy that you thought could have come afterward. I'm talking about the one you're doing this for, Jaune Arc."_

Weiss' giggling stopped cold as her head spun towards her teammate, "Wait, what? Blake? What does he-"

"No, father, he doesn't know, but if and when I try at a relationship with Sun, I will tell him. And don't worry, you know Sun is better than you want to think of him, he'll understand, just like you and mom did."

The large Faunus leader took another moment to look into his daughter's eyes before he sighed in acceptance, _"Very well then. Your mother and I appreciate this call and let us know you won't be reachable for a while. If you wish, I could send a ship or two with you to help if you're headed for the island just north of us."_

"We appreciate it dad, but there's no need." Blake let out a small smile, "We'll be able to take care of ourselves. You just focus on the village and the new Faunus rights movement. It's where you'll be able to help the most."

 _"Very good. Thanks again Blake and-"_

 _"And as soon as you all are finished, be sure to stop by Kuo Kuana and stay with us for a bit. It's been a while since we got to see everyone and I never got to see your friend's sword, so please, just take some time once you're done to come and visit."_

Blake's smile grew a bit wider as she chuckled with mirth, "Will do mom. Okay, we're gonna get some rest, we'll let you know when we get back. Bye, mom and dad!"

She waved to her parents as they waved back before the connection was cut, leaving the raven-haired Faunus with a confused Schnee right next to her, "Blake? What did they mean about you having a crush on Jaune?"

When Blake hesitated with her answer, the heiress put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they sat down on one of the couches together, "Look I… I don't know how something like that could have come to be, but I'm not judging you or anything. Besides, we've all talked about how we're dealing with Jaune's, passing, and we all know that it's not good to keep any feelings or anything like that bottled up. If your father believes this is something you need to talk about, then you know you can talk about it with me."

Weiss' teammate breathed in slowly before she looked up and nodded, both of them spending a few minutes in silence as they prepared themselves for whatever was about to be revealed, "Okay."

Blake looked into Weiss' eyes as she began, "I think all of us can agree that our first thoughts and impressions of Jaune weren't all that… positive, but he still stayed at Beacon, and his team and ours all became friends. At first, we never interacted much, just saying 'hi' whenever we saw each other in the hallways, but that changed one day when Pyrrha texted me, asking me to get something from their dorm room."

The heiress leaned in, never hearing about this before, "It was sometime after the Breach, I honestly can't even remember what it was she wanted me to get. I spent a few minutes searching, and I accidentally knocked over this book that was on a shelf. When I went to pick it up, I saw what was inside, and I froze, it was Jaune, with six blonde girls and women, and holding a baby Faunus girl. That's when I remembered him saying something about having seven sisters, and I realized that the Faunus girl must have been his seventh sister. I also realized that he never told us that one of his sisters was a Faunus, he only ever mentioned them as his sisters.

"A few days passed, and my mind kept flashing back to that picture until it got to the point where I couldn't take it, and I had to ask Jaune about it. I went up to him, and I asked him to tell me about his sisters, and he went on for a while about all of them but never mentioned that one was a Faunus. Then I told him about the picture I saw and asked him why he didn't mention that one of them was a Faunus, and he just shrugged saying 'It's not really something that matters to me. All I need to know is that she's my sister, and I'll always love her no matter what.'

"I think it was after that talk that I started to think about him more and more. I didn't know what to expect when I would ask him about his sister being a Faunus, but I didn't expect the answer he gave me. I could tell from the way he looked in my eyes and spoke of her, there wasn't a single thing wrong with someone being a Faunus to him, and if a loved one were Faunus, then he would love them as much as he would anyone. Seeing him in that new light, I began wanting to be around him some more; we started reading together when there was nothing to do, he even let me borrow his favorite book. It was an original edition of the star-crossed lovers novel before Mistral censored it; in the original edition, the female lover wasn't human, she was Faunus, and that's how that book turned from my least favorite to my favorite."

Weiss was utterly dumbstruck, suddenly all those times Blake was away from the team between the Breach and the Vytal Festival flashed in her mind and the small smiles she had whenever she showed back up in their dorm room. Then the guilt she felt whenever she thought of Jaune returned with a vengeance, along with the memories of belittling, mocking and flat out being cold to him. After Jaune died, guilt had been a significant detriment on Weiss' spirits, sometimes becoming so bad that she would fall into a spiraling depression, but the number of times she experienced those episodes had slowly been decreasing since everyone began talking with one another.

Then another strike of realization picked her head back up to face her teammate, "Wait, then how do your parents know about what you felt for him?"

Blake sighed and stared off at the screen as she remembered her little slip-up, "Well, one day Sun was just out getting to know the people of my home village, and it was only my parents and me in the house. We got to talking about Beacon, I told them about Ruby, you, Yang, and when I mentioned Jaune, they stopped me and asked me to talk more about him. They didn't know the exact details of what happened at Beacon, but they heard Jaune's name in the short news report the village had received. I spent the next, I don't even know, five minutes talking about the kind of person Jaune was and about his family, but they figured out I was saying all of that so that I didn't have to talk about what happened to him. My father sat in silence for a bit as my story about Jaune probably took him by surprise, but then he surprised me when he wished he could have met him."

The Faunus let out a small chuckle, "I also like to think that what I told them about Jaune got my father to see Sun the same way I did after he helped me see my mistake in running away, but you saw his reaction to Sun."

The heiress felt like she should have been shocked at the fact it was Blake cheering her up, but she was too busy giggling to think about it too much, "Yes, well, we can't win all battles when it comes to our parents…"

Blake looked back to her teammate's troubled face and gasped when she suddenly realized her story must have caused an intense episode for Weiss, "Oh Gods! Weiss, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

Her teammate cut her off when she pulled the Faunus into an embrace and cried into her shoulder, "No it's-sniff-it's alright Blake. It's my fault for letting myself go there. Please stop blaming yourself for our misery, sniff, we're all sharing it."

Weiss let out a few more wet sniffles before she started talking too, "Besides, I know the same feeling. After the dance, after finding out Jaune talked Neptune into coming up to me at the dance, after seeing him flirt with more girls during the tournament, I couldn't help but regret my actions towards that dunce and wondered if there might have been anything really there if I bothered to look. I wish I could go back in time and accept his advances. I wish I could've just said yes whenever he asked me out, but I can't, and all I can do is move on while keeping his memory alive. That's all any of us can do."

Blake closed her eyes to keep her own eyes from turning into waterfalls, "Saying it is one thing, Weiss, doing it is another. I just told you I'm having the same trouble, just tell me you know that you, me, and everyone else are going through the same pain and that you know we'll all be there for each other together."

The heiress nodded her head into Blake's shoulder, and the two of them just sat there, keeping each other company, acting as reminders that they won't ever be alone anymore.

* * *

"Hey guys, Weiss just texted me. The community room is open, so let's go tell Jaune's family what's happened."

Ren and Nora followed Pyrrha down the hall until they reached the double doors of the community room. They walked through the doors one at a time and sat on the couches as they tried to reach Jaune's family. After what happened to Jaune, his family came to Beacon, and even they attempted to move the sword, but even the strongest of the large family couldn't make it budge. In the two years that followed afterward, however, the family also grew close to the members of Jaune's team, to the point where they were considered extended family. The three hunters in training thought about making a conference call like Blake and Weiss, but they figured it would have probably been more appropriate if they called the parents, then let them explain to the girls.

Pyrrha put her scroll into the port on the table, and instead of the calling screen, the television immediately put up a picture of a tall blond man and a slightly shorter blond woman. The man was the patriarch of the Arc family, William Arc, the father of Jaune and his seven sisters, and the woman was his wife and the children's mother, Astrid. William's hair was not at all as scraggly as his son's mop of hair was, it was actually in a crew cut with a thin wolf tail down the back of his head. His eyes weren't the same blue as his son's as they had dulled and darkened over time, but they contrasted well with his dark blue jacket. Astrid's hair was almost as long as Yang's, but hers was straightened and braided around the head, and there wasn't a single strand covering her chestnut brown eyes. They both looked happy, but the three young hunters knew there was a great pain hiding behind their eyes, _"Look who it is! Hello there Pyrrha! Oh! Along with Ren and Nora, how lovely!"_

Even though they knew the blonde woman was not as cheerful as she sounded, they still smiled at the warm feeling of seeing the Arc parents again, "It's lovely to see you two as well. We hope you're doing well."

Not exactly the best thing to say to two grieving parents, but the Arcs were special people, so they knew the sentiment behind the words, and it made their smiles a bit brighter, _"Yes, we're doing alright. What about the three of you? Not that we're complaining or anything, just curious as to the reason you're calling… is something wrong?"_

All three of them knew what they needed to say, but it didn't stop the anxiety and hesitation from bubbling up, _"Now you're making us worried. What's going on?"_

Surprising everyone, Nora spoke up and bit the bullet, "Two days ago somebody climbed Beacon and stole Crocea Mors. We're on a big ship chasing after the varmint."

"Wait a minute." William almost couldn't believe his ears, _"Someone was able to move Crocea Mors? How? Astrid, Serena, Kara AND I couldn't even make that sword budge. How was some random crook able to move a sword that even the strongest in our family couldn't move? Are there any leads on who you're chasing?"_

It was a ton of questions, but it was understandable why they kept coming rapid fire, and Ren took action as quickly as he could, "We don't know mister Arc. When we confronted the man at the top of the tower, he pulled the sword from its place and it shined so brightly that we were temporarily blinded. With the light was an intense feeling of power, strong enough to push all of us on our knees, completely incapacitated. Eventually, we all got our sight back, and we saw this hooded man holding Crocea Mors, except that it… changed."

 _"Changed? Changed how?"_

Nora bounced like a basketball, "HE MEANS IT CHANGED AND WENT FROM A BADASS PLAIN-LOOKING SWORD TO AN AWESOME-LOOKING BADASS SWORD!"

Lightening the tense situation, everyone knew it, and appreciated it, _"Hahaha, okay Nora, we understand now."_

 _"We appreciate your personality Nora,"_ William got back on track, _"but you said you were on a ship? Does that mean whoever took Crocea Mors is on one as well?"_

"Yes, mister Arc." Pyrrha nodded, "We spent the last twenty-four hours following a trail of, witnesses until we reached the docks. With the harbormaster's help, we were able to figure out that whoever took the sword has commandeered a ship and is headed to an island just north of Menagerie and south of Anima called Gravegate. Luckily, a friendly captain we got to know in the past few years arrived in Vale yesterday and is giving us passage to the island."

Dark blue and chestnut brown eyes widened into planets at the mention of Gravegate, _"Pyrrha? Did you say 'Gravegate'?"_

"Um, yes, Gravegate. Why do you ask? Do you know of it?"

The two blonds didn't answer until they looked to each other and silently came to a decision, _"Yes, we know of it."_

"Mister and missus Arc?" Ren leaned towards the screen, "May I ask how, and if you know something about it that could help us?"

 _"Perhaps, but first I need to ask you all something."_ William hid all emotion from his face as he leaned forward, _"What exactly do you three know about Crocea Mors?"_

Confusion wracked all three of the teens' faces, "Well, we know that the sword belonged to one of Jaune's ancestors before he took it with him to Beacon. Other than that, nothing. What does that have to do with Gravegate?"

 _"Did Jaune tell you that his great-great-grandfather forged the sword himself?"_

"No, he only said that his great-great-grandfather used it during the war. He never said who forged it."

 _"Because he didn't know. None of us do. The truth is, Jaune's great-great-grandfather, my great grandfather, found it on the shores of Gravegate, following a dream he had."_

Wait, what? "Crocea Mors was found at Gravegate? And what do you mean 'following a dream'?"

William rubbed his eyes before he elaborated. _"The story is that one night, my great-grandfather had the same dream for months. In the dream, he saw an island surrounded by shipwrecks, a mountain covered in fog, and a sword resting on black shores. The image haunted him, never taking leave from his mind until he had enough and set out to find this place he couldn't leave in peace in the back of his mind. Eventually, after months of searching, he learned from a sailor the story of Obsidia and what had happened to it, and he knew that had to be the place. It took a few more weeks, but eventually, he found a crew of sailors that would at least take him close enough to the island for him to row over himself. When he got closer to the island, he saw the beaches were pitch black, just like in his dreams, and in the middle of the shore was a shining sword and shield lying in the sand. That is the story of how we came into possession of Crocea Mors."_

Ren's eyes widened in realization, "And if the one who took the sword is heading for Gravegate, that must mean he knows that's where it came from! Does anyone else know this story?"

Astrid shook her head to the sides, _"No. Not even the children know. The only people who know the real story are you three, William, and myself, not even Jaune knew."_

"I see…" Pyrrha held her chin in her hand as she contemplated on the words, "Thank you both for that information, I'm sure it will help as we keep chasing this guy."

 _"I know that this mission is personal for you three,"_ Astrid took center-stage, _"but be careful while on this chase. I know if it was me going on this mission you would be telling me the same thing, but please, don't let those personal feelings blind you to the possible dangers you may encounter."_

Nora regained her usual bright and shining smile, "Don't worry, Mama Arc. We'll be as careful as can be! We don't want to risk losing fearless leader's sword, do we?... because that would be bad, like, as bad as being unable to eat pancakes for years… OH, GODS WHAT HELL HAVE I JUST CREATED IN MY MIND?!"

William and Astrid chuckled at the rambunctious ginger being calmed down by the green-clad ninja while they hung up the call. Normally, Pyrrha would have chuckled at the familiar chaos unfolding before her, but she was far too distracted with her thoughts to give it any attention. One thing they all knew for sure was that whoever stole Crocea Mors was from the mythical, magical kingdom, but they never thought about what Lothos would even want with the sword. All of the facts and theories from the facts floated in the Spartan's mind like leaves in a stream, until they all came together. The sword originally being found on Gravegate, the hooded figure being the only one to move it, then take the sword back to the place it came from, it all hit Pyrrha like a freight train with no brakes.

"Guys?" the two opposites freezing in place from the champion's shaky voice, "What if Crocea Mors came from Lothos, and they sent someone to get it back?"

Nora's head tilted like a dinner plate on the edge of a table, "What do you mean Pyrrha? That sword was Jaune-Jaune's, and his family's before him, so how could that guy from magic-land not be a thief?"

"Nora, she does raise a valid point." Ren said, "That story about how the Arcs came into possession of Crocea Mors, the fact that we're chasing someone from Lothos, the magical fifth kingdom, and that after being the only person capable of moving it, returning to the place the sword supposedly came from? It's too many patterns and facts to be a coincidence."

The ever-stoic ninja turned from his childhood partner to his spartan teammate, "You may be right Pyrrha. We just might be chasing someone who's under orders to return a lost weapon to the kingdom, but you said it yourself, Crocea Mors is more than just a weapon, it's all we have left of Jaune. We all know you loved him, and even I admit that I loved him like the brother I never had, and it doesn't matter if Salem herself stole the sword, we will get it back. For us, and for Jaune."

"YYYYEEEESSSS!" Nora star-jumped and cheered like she did when she first discovered pancakes, "I LOVE IT WHEN YOU GET LESS LIKE A ROBOT REN! WE'RE GONNA GET JAUNE'S SWORD BACK, AND NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!"

As soon as Pyrrha was done cleaning out her ears, she laughed brightly at the usual shenanigans of her teammates… no… her family. Ren, Nora, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, even Oscar, they were all in this together, they were all family, and someone had just taken the only thing they had left of the family member they all lost. It didn't matter to Pyrrha if the devil herself took it, it didn't matter if some random thief took it, it didn't even matter if someone under the orders of a magic king who could be the most powerful being they would encounter. Someone stole their last reminder of Jaune, the family they lost, and nobody messes with their family.

* * *

 _'Why is it that out of all the places on Remnant, the Obelisk has to be near the creepiest forest in all of existence? I mean COME ON! The fact that this is a forest and there's absolutely no sound at all is just unsettling and unnatural.'_

It was true. The only sound that could be heard in the forests of Gravegate were the sounds of breathing and a blade cutting through the foliage. Ever since the pirates vanished, there hasn't been a sign of human life anywhere on the island, only the ruins of buildings, the silent woods, and the few smugglers caches that the bravest criminals had created throughout the years of the island's existence. It was a far cry from the bustling city and the forests around Lothos, a very far cry.

However, he couldn't afford to be spooked by the unsettling surroundings. He was on a mission, and the mission was accomplished, so the time to come home had arrived. Even then, the traveler was not exactly thrilled at the prospect of returning to Lothos, not since he had gotten to know the old lands

 _'I can see why he wanted to protect this world, it's just as beautiful as Lothos, and the people are kinder than the old ones liked us to believe.'_

The traveler kept himself busy with his thoughts and memories of his time in Remnant as he trudged through the silent green lands. Other than the duffel bag he carried on his back, he had not changed his appearance since the night he took the sword. Since the night he met the two teams. It was a necessity, as the cargo pants and jacket kept the thorns and sharp, low-hanging branches from slowing him down, and the hood kept anything the wind blew off the trees from splattering on his head.

 _'I wonder what this place was like before the pirates screwed everything up? Maybe it was beautiful as, uh… what was that village called? OH! Kuo Kuana! Yeah, that place was beautiful.'_

His thoughts were the only things that kept him occupied as he finally reached the old volcano and began to scale it slowly, the newly transformed sword hanging on his shoulder between his back and the duffel bag. He knew that if he were going to remove it from its place atop Beacon Tower, the sword would change into what he needed it to be, but he never expected it to become a longsword that had to hang on his back. While the entire handle peeked over his right shoulder, the double-edged blade grown to be long enough to reach the top of his left thigh since it pointed down at a diagonal. He smirked as he thought about how anyone from Remnant would be baffled by the fact it weighed just as much it used to, but there were far more unbelievable things he had seen and experienced, he was from Lothos after all.

 _'Mom and dad told me about the old mage that wanted to rejoin Remnant thousands of years ago, maybe he had the right idea. This place is plagued with monsters that could easily be taken care of with the right magic… then again, if things could have gotten so bad that I needed to get the sword, maybe it would be too dangerous for Remnant to have us return. Hehe, funny I keep thinking "us", knowing what I know about me. Maybe, one day, Lothos can return to this world, but how could I do anything considering what I am?'_

Not all of his thoughts were optimistic, as there was enough time to think of pretty much everything, but luckily for his cheerful and light-hearted self, he had reached the final door. After what felt like hours, the traveler reached the opening of a small tunnel in the side of the dormant volcano and strolled through as if he were walking through a park. On the other side of the small passageway, he stared into an endless void of darkness, until he readied himself for his roar,

"KENAZ!"

Like a tennis ball bouncing off of court walls, the word traveled all around the darkness before it quickly faded away, revealing a large stone chamber. In the dead center of the hall was an island of stone, surrounded by a ring of molten lava a dozen feet below. The lava flashed to life upon the presence of the word and slowly traveled up the walls through the many web-like cracks in the stone. It was like drops of water defying gravity and traveling upwards while glowing bright as a torch. Above the ring of fire, a stone bridge large enough for a squadron to cross together connected the island in the center to the doorway of the tunnel. The traveler walked across the bridge, paying no mind to the liquid fire that surrounded him, and stopped when he reached the structure in the island's center. It was an Obsidian Obelisk, the only magical structure capable of helping people in Lothos travel far distances almost instantaneously, and the one in the volcano was the only thing that connected Lothos to Remnant.

 _'Is it just me, or did that thing get shorter?'_

"Thing" and "shorter" felt like the wrong words to use with the Obelisk. It was a beautiful structure, with equally beautiful and intricate carvings all over the surface, and it stood five times higher than the traveler's six feet and two inches. The traveler chuckled at his thinking the structure, and "short" were the right words to use together. Just before his outstretched hand laid upon the surface of the Obelisk, he felt the sword on his back glow with power, as if it were summoning him. He withdrew his hand from the black gateway, put it on the handle, and drew the longsword from its sheath.

He didn't know what to do, so he merely did all he could think to do, "I'm still not sure if I'm worthy enough to share your power, but I made a promise on the tower, and I'll make it again here. I swear, on both my name and my blood, that I will do whatever it takes to prove myself worthy, and I will use it in the pursuit of justice and the protection of the innocent. Just as he did before me."

Feeling the power in the blade beginning to settle, the traveler slowly put it back in the sheath and resumed the final step of his journey home, _'I hope his friends listened when I told them not to follow me. I don't want to cause them any more pain, and if they were to find me, the pain might never stop.'_

With those final thoughts, he shut his eyes as he felt the cold surface of obsidian and began to pour his aura into the structure. Once all his aura was absorbed by the Obelisk, his body and everything he carried followed afterward. All traces of the traveler were gone, and the carvings in the Obelisk glowed blue before a wave of energy pulsed through the chamber, plunging it into darkness once more.

* * *

 **A/N's: Alright I gotta say it before someone else does, this chapter does have a bit of repetition, at least with the dialogue and situation, but I just have to say that it was necessary. In the first chapter, I mentioned that it was an experiment, and keeping that in mind I guess this is the real beginning of the story, at least from my point of view.** **As for the dialogue in question, I'm not trying to make a Jaune x Harem story here, that would be rather difficult since he's dead here. While this is, in a way, a massive ship-tease, it was necessary for what's to come. As in, for some of the revelations that await the two teams, they'll need to feel this way for all the revelations to truly affect them, and in turn, hopefully, affect you as the readers.**

 **Anyways, that's been the second chapter of Hidden Kingdom. Special thanks to SunWukongMogar for beta-reading. Also, be sure to leave comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, it's very much appreciated. As for the future of the story, I'll try to update it regularly, but I can't promise anything other than "somewhat sporadic".**

 **Miscellaneous Notes:**

 **Since I suck at description, basically Crocea Mors turned into its Volume 4 version, and in the form of a one-handed longsword like in Sword Art Online.**

 **I probably spent around ten minutes looking at a map of Remnant, trying to figure out which of the many small islands to use as Gravegate... so there's that little thing for you to laugh about...**

* * *

 **Well then, 'til next time!**


	3. Opening the Gate

**Chapter III: Opening the Gate**

* * *

 _"Ozpin, we've known each other for a long time, been through many things together, so could you please explain to me why it is that you did not inform any of us about the theft of the Arc boy's sword as soon as it happened?"_

It may have been Oscar's body that moved as he sighed, but it was not the once farmboy who was in control at the moment of the evening, "You make it sound like I hadn't tried, James. It seems that you've forgotten that your resignation from Atlas Academy has made contacting you a bit more difficult than it used to be. That's including what you and Specialist Schnee have been up to since your forced retirement."

The ancient wizard couldn't find any reason to be surprised at the lack of change in his old ally's character. After General James Ironwood had been forced to resign his position in Atlas Academy, he had also been forced to focus on his seat on the Atlesian council, the politics making his schedule tighter than a snare drum. Judging by the even fuller beard on the grizzled soldier's face, it was more trying than being in battle, _"I suppose that is true, but how is it that you know what I've assigned Specialist Schnee to?"_

If all the people were talking in the same room, they would have collectively turned toward the familiar drunken spy, _"What do you want me to say, Jimmy?"_

Ironwood made sure to use his human hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, knowing his metal one could break it with the pressure his fingers were exerting, _"Absolutely nothing, Qrow, just stay silent,"_

The familiar buxom blonde combat teacher was in no place better than the general, _"I second that Qrow."_

 _"Eesh, it's like they're all gangin' up on me! But I'm still your favorite, right Ozzy?"_

 _'You know, if I hadn't have gotten to know him, I'd ask if he was serious, but after everything that we've been through with that guy…'_

 _"James,"_ Glynda figured it was best to stop the ensuing argument and get back on track, _"Perhaps you and Qrow could save your measuring contest for another time? We do have business at the moment."_

Glynda was about the only thing Ozpin could thank the gods for anymore, "Thank you, Glynda. As I was saying, it was two nights ago when an unknown assailant scaled the tower and took the sword. We spent the next morning following a trail through Vale until we reached the docks, where we discovered the intended destination of the man we're chasing. For about the last twenty-four hours, we have been on a ship, headed for the same island as our target, Gravegate."

Based on the fact that Glynda was the only one who didn't take a large swig from a flask or tense up in her seat, she was the only one who did not know the place, _"Gravegate?"_

Qrow coughed a bit as he finished off all he had left in his flask, _"Why, in the hell, would anyone, go there? I've been there during some of my scouting missions, and even though it turned out not to be where she was hiding, it sure as hell could be her vacation spot!"_

Looking back up from his processing, the General brought his voice back into the fold, _"While I may not have had the displeasure of actually setting foot on that island, I have had the privilege of hearing all of the stories. When it comes to stories of the seas, sailors and soldiers can't live their lives right without knowing all the stories there are to know. What kind of person would purposely travel through such treacherous waters to walk on a dead island?"_

He wanted to keep quiet, but no matter how much the name and the memories hurt, the old man made a promise to all who followed him, "Lothos."

One word and all thought of speaking flew out all the windows on the ship and the rooms from which the distant callers were sitting in. It was painful, but back then, Ozpin always had no choice but to tell those whom he recruited to his inner circle about his old life in the mythical kingdom. It used to be only his inner circle and no one else, until team RWBY and OLVN came into the picture. Knowing that there was only one conversation they ever had of the place, the lieutenants could tell this was no joke, _"... Well shit…"_

It was so sudden and unexpected that Qrow had to slap himself in the face to convince himself of what he had just heard, _"Di- DID YOU JUST CURSE JIMMY?!"_

"ENOUGH!" there was no time for anything but being serious, and Ozpin's tone got that point across thoroughly, "You all know that I never wished to say that word at any time other than when I had to bring you all into this fight. Keeping that in mind, do not speak, but listen. Teams RWBY and OLVN will be going after this apparent Lothonian, discover why Lothos would want mister Arc's sword, and why they would dare come here after everything. Until we return, Remnant will be in your hands alone, so keep up all operations and stay informed for when we return. And James? Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, attempt any assistance or following me!"

The Atlesian General may have been jaded, but hearing his old comrade in the fight against Salem lose even the littlest bit of control over his emotions was something he never thought he'd witness, _"... Understood. Take care of yourself, Ozpin, and take care of those with you."_

With that, the metal man signed himself off, the blonde combat instructor following his lead after a concerned wish of luck directed towards Oscar. Then all who remained were the two body-mates and the old crow, _"Oz, I know there's nothing about this that doesn't make you angry, but keep that anger in check, for my niece's sake."_

Oscar's head shook up and down, Ozpin's words following, "You have my word, Qrow, I will not lose control as I did before."

The dusty old crow nodded and shut off his connection as he took a final swig from his flask, leaving the wizard and his apprentice all alone, **_'Oscar, you have my apologies, I didn't mean to lose my control. Lothos is-'_**

 _'Not a very pleasant thing to talk about, is it?'_

 ** _'Ha. No, not particularly, but it is rather obvious that if you and the rest are going to trust me, I'm going to have to trust myself and trust I can handle the memories.'_**

 _'Well, handle the memories or not, you still said that you would explain what you knew about the island once we all finished letting people know what we were doing.'_

 ** _'You're right. It's time to call everyone together again. It's time I told everyone what I know about Gravegate.'_**

The ancient wizard brought the scroll up to his face, but he hesitated for the briefest second before he went ahead and called in the rest of the students for his next story to them. It took a few minutes, but eventually, all of team RWBY, along with Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora returned to the large room and found their places on the couches. Ozpin moved the small table over so he had enough room to stand in front of them all, and he glanced over each of the young warriors to see slight hints of exhaustion on their faces, "It seems to only be early evening. I hope you're not all spent already."

Yang recovered from her tired look enough to scoff, "Yeah right old man. So, no more stalling, we all know there is something you know about Gravegate, something personal, so come on and spill already."

"More than thousands of years walking the surface of Remnant was more than enough time for someone to make regretful decisions, but the centuries after those decisions did not make them easier to talk about."

The sheer defeat in his voice was easily discernable before the defeated sigh that signaled the start of another tragic trip down the professor's lane of memories, "There have been some lives that I had spent trying to forget my curse, my duty, and became a rather… uncaring individual. One of those lives happened to be one where I was… one of the pirates that took over Obsidia. Granted, I was merely an ordinary crew member on one of the ships that settled on the island after the other crews took over the island, but that did not make me any less guilty for the suffering wrought upon those innocent people. I'd like to believe that had I put down a bottle, I might have seen what had happened on that godforsaken land and done something about it, but I fear I was too far in my pit of self-despair and drowning in alcohol to do anything about it.

"I don't remember much of that life, partly because I repressed those memories, and mostly because I was too drunk to stand. Although, I do remember how it ended. There were strange voices or something of the like coming from the forest, and a large number of pirates went in to discover the sources, only to disappear with screams and what sounded like sword fighting. Before another group could follow after the sounds of battle, a tall man in a blue cloak emerged from the forest and cut us all down in the blink of an eye. I can only assume that man was the first wielder of Crocea Mors from Lothos, and that after he killed the pirates, he destroyed their ships and supplies on the water and coast."

"You…" if the students believed it, they were showing no sign of belief, "you were a pirate in a past life?"

Naturally, the students were getting ready for Yang to begin getting angry at the reincarnating wizard, but his agitation beat hers to the chase, "Yes. After everything I had been trying and failing to do, I certainly had lives where I tried to comfort myself, like other people that happen to be here in this-"

The young boy's head turned away, the eyes closing before they could see the looks of shock and worry on the other teens' faces. _'Ozpin? Easy there…'_

Another minute of tense silence passed as the youngest body let out ragged breaths of air to calm down, all while being watched wearily by the rest of the teens. Ever since they learned of Salem's existence, the students had taken turns being angry with their old headmaster, but he always accepted their rage and never tried defending himself. Now, they were the ones being yelled at and getting pushed down by all of the pent-up rage and frustration, and it was intimidating. While they were fearful for the anger that seemed to be flooding the reincarnating old man, they were also concerned for their friend that had no choice but to be the vessel for all of that anger.

Surprisingly, Ren was the one to step up and move towards the young body with two souls and place his hand on the shoulder as he looked into the farmboy's eyes, "Professor? It's alright. I know that in the past, we've judged you rather harshly about Salem, the relics, and your past lives, but you have my word, we won't judge you anymore. I admit, it took us a while, but we finally understand that you've been through many hardships and even maddening challenges. It has been almost two years since you told us everything after all, and you accepted our anger and frustrations for that whole time. Now it's our turn, so go at your own pace, for Oscar's sake as well as your own."

 _'Maybe I should also take lessons on how to speak from Ren too.'_

The elder soul made the young body smirk, **_'Indeed, mister Lie does indeed have a knack for negotiation. You shouldn't rely on me to be your only teacher, Oscar.'_**

It didn't take long for the amused smirk to be replaced with a warm and grateful smile, "Of course. You have my thanks for the consideration, mister Lie, but I made a promise that I would be honest and upfront with all of you from now on, and I plan to uphold that promise."

Ren nodded before he turned and sat back down in his seat, his warm smile slowly spreading to the rest of the students as the professor cleared his throat to resume, "As I was saying, yes miss Rose, I was one of the pirates from Gravegate in a past life. I've told you before, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on Remnant, some far worse than others. When I turned to the pirate's life, I was near broken in spirit and fell to drinking and more debaucherous forms of empty comfort. It was, without a doubt, one of the lives filled with the most regret. Which seems to be getting even worse with the realization that it was the life where Lothos returned to screw with me."

Yang chose to be the one to change the dark subject, "When we first found out about Lothos, you said that you wanted to reunite Lothos with Remnant, but the king refused and banished you for thinking like that. If Crocea Mors and its first wielder before Jaune's ancestor, were from Lothos, why would they come to Remnant? Could something have changed?"

Ozpin nodded, "I can only assume. Perhaps the royal family was replaced with another. Perhaps the government had changed from a monarchy. I cannot be certain. I assume that whoever used and left the sword on Gravegate was going against the wishes of the kingdom, seeing as they've sent someone to bring it back."

"But why all these years later?" all eyes turned to Ruby, "I mean, you and the captain said that what happened on that island happened a century before the great war. That's almost two hundred years ago! Why is it that only now they've come to get it back?"

"Simple," Blake spoke up, "Jaune's sacrifice. Think about it. Nobody really knows what had happened at Gravegate; it's all been speculation and rumors. When Jaune fought Cinder at the top of Beacon Tower, it was televised, and the whole world saw with their own eyes. Now the world had seen a weapon from Lothos in action, and in such a way that no one will forget it, so that means there is more risk of being discovered or something, doesn't it?"

Pyrrha shook her head once she halted the tears for her old partner, "You make a good point, Blake, but Lothos is in a different dimensional plane from Remnant. If that's the case, how could they have seen what Jaune did? How could they even recognize this ancient weapon of theirs, and why would they wait two years after what happened to Jaune to even attempt getting the sword?"

Before anyone else could pitch in, Ozpin decided to take back his control of the room, "I may not know the answer to all of your questions, miss Nikos, but I might have the answer to one of them. While they most certainly don't have a way to watch Remnant's television channels from the other dimension, there are most certainly magic practices that allow people to see into other worlds."

His throat was cleared again as he prepared for another lecture, "You see, there are specific manifestations and forms of magic that all have their own function. For instance, personal magic such as protective barriers or attacks do not require any words to use, but the caster's mind must be clear to cast them correctly. Then certain spells can only be activated by one or more keywords, such as lighting up a room, instantly traveling from one point to another, and casting a screen or window to see certain places or events. Those forms of magic can only be used, however, in a specific location or with a particular object.

"For example, if one were to travel from one point to another instantaneously, they not only need the right words but the right object of power. Say you wanted to travel from Beacon Academy to Haven Academy, what you would need is a travel stone. A travel stone is a portable object that holds the power to activate instantaneous travel, but you can only activate that power if you had your destination in mind and you had spoken the exact words. The same thing goes for chambers or objects that could allow one to see other worlds."

They tried to look jaded. They really did. However, no matter how many of those long explanations and stories they had heard after all this time, the lecture of magic still felt like a lot of information to register all at once, "So, what you're saying, is that there are magic chambers and magic objects that allow people in Lothos to see what happens in Remnant?"

"That is correct miss Rose, though I doubt they would watch anything other than significant events, like mister Arc's sacrifice, so please don't think that we're being watched at this moment. It is rather highly unlikely."

Yang sighed in relief as she relaxed her arm around her little sister, who just looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, "Sis? Were you seriously just getting ready to hold me down as if I was about to run around freaking out about the idea people could be watching us right now?"

A nervous chuckle escaped the blonde brawler as she gestured to her sister to look around at those who were surrounding. Once she turned around, the red reaper groaned in defeat as she saw her friends in different positions, ready to help catch the little speedster if she started running around in a panic. Seeing that such was not about to happen, all of the teens relaxed back into their seats, and Ozpin chuckled along with his young body-mate. The embarrassing little situation helped to lighten the tension that was building up inside the exiled wizard from remembering his old home and its customs.

"As for the other questions, it stands to reason that if they are even trying to get Crocea Mors out of Remnant, that must mean there is something about the sword that they need or want, yet it is also true that it has been almost two centuries since the sword first arrived on Remnant. So perhaps the reason they took so long is that they didn't know they had something powerful. In all honesty, we'll never be able to find the answers to all of these questions without getting the answers ourselves from the king of Lothos. Don't forget; we don't even know for certain if what mister Arc did that night was his semblance, and now that we find ourselves chasing a Lothonian that stole Crocea Mors, who's to say that what mister Arc did came from him and not the sword?"

The young hunters shot their eyes towards each other and back to the ancient wizard faster than a round out of Crescent Rose, "You think that was the sword?! You think that wasn't his semblance?!"

"We all saw what happened that night. If what mister Arc did was a hidden power within the sword, it would explain why Lothos would want it back."

Ozpin raised his hand before anyone else could say any more, "While I understand that you wish to talk more, it would most likely be better if we took time to process all of this before we speculate further. Go back to your rooms and get some rest before you go to sleep, we still have another week until we reach Gravegate, and we can speculate all we want for our remaining journey. Until then, rest, process, sleep, we're going to need it for when we reach our destination."

It was logical, and though they wanted to refuse and to keep talking, they couldn't argue with the logic; and together, they all returned to their quarters, preparing for whatever answers and conflict may await them in the fifth kingdom.

* * *

While the teens went to sleep on their long day, a large wooden door opened to reveal a chamber the likes of which no one on Remnant had ever seen before. The floor was made of white marble, polished so well that it looked as if it was a mirror with a phantom layer of white covering everything above it. Six pillars of the same white marble stood as part of the circular walls around the chamber, which were colored pitch black but fluctuated like the waves of the ocean. The dome ceiling above it all was the same pitch black as the walls, but it didn't move around like water in a bottle and instead had small golden circles shining rays of light in every direction of the room. In a more technologically advanced world, it would look like a laser security system in a large corporation; only the lasers were golden rays of sunshine. Traveling back and forth on the rays of light were orbs the size of globes, each one a different color than the last.

In the center of the entire chamber, amidst the strands of light, a five and a half foot tall tower stood firm. It looked something like a tower one would see a white wizard in a world filled with powerful rings residing in, only it was made of pitch black stone and did not fluctuate like the walls around it. Floating just inches above the four spikes at the top was an orb that was starting to dull, like a layer of fog setting down in a valley, obscuring all that one could see inside it.

Once the orb had fogged up completely, the young hand that presided above it pulled back to its owner. The hand belonged to a young woman, looking to be just above twenty years old, dressed in a wine-red robe with blue and gold details in the stitching. Resting just above the chest was a metal piece of armor that gave the appearance of a brace, but had an intricate and beautiful design going from the center to the ends of each of her shoulders. Above the robes, above the collar, the woman's eyes were a soft brown like fallen leaves of autumn, the same as her long hair reaching the top of her waist. Her skin was smooth as silk, showing all the work that must have been put in to keep it as such, and showing just how youthful she was.

Upon hearing the door to her chamber opening, she turned to the entrance and bowed as she spoke in a voice soft as a fox's fur, "Your majesty."

The one who entered was none other than the ruler of Lothos, their entire head covered by the royal mask, which was merely a hood with a golden mask beneath it. The young woman knew who was under the mask, but it was custom in Lothos for the monarch to wear their royal mask out of respect when entering a Sanctum of Sight. Unlike the young woman's robes, the monarch's was more reminiscent of a coat, a dark blue with a golden bird flapping its wings together across the overlap on the chest. Beneath the cloak, in front of the pant-covered legs, hung a small flap reaching to the shins, while the back of the coat reached down to the ankles of the pointed boots.

 **"Rise, Royal Seer."** when the monarch spoke, the mask altered their voice, but not their authoritative tone, **"What news do you have that brought me to your sanctum?"**

As the Royal Seer rose back to her feet, she took on a severe look to her leader and gestured to the center pedestal, "I have been keeping an eye on Remnant since the blade was reclaimed, and it seems that the seven children and the exiled mage are in pursuit of it."

Even though she could not see her monarch's face, the Royal Seer knew the face behind the mask had no smile; there had not been one in a long time, **"How long until they reach the gate, Heimla?"**

"At least a week. Luckily, the ship the children had chartered was not nearly as fast as the one he had chartered, which is why he had already arrived home."

Lothos' ruler brought their hand to their chin as they contemplated their next words, **"Why would these children and the exiled mage care about the sword so much?"**

The Royal Seer, now known as Heimla, wasted no time in answering, "They were the teammates and close friends of Jaune Arc. It's also been mentioned by your… operative that they've grown to see the blade as all that they have left of the boy."

With the new information, the magic monarch sighed in melancholy, **"Loyal to their friend, no matter what. It seems the young Arc had the same effect on people as the rest of that family does."**

A sullen silence fell upon the room until it was broken again by the royal ruler, **"I understand why he told them not to follow, but perhaps it would be best that they see what they must. Heimla, keep watch on the children. Alert me when they find the Obelisk, and do what you can to ensure their journey to the gate goes more quickly."**

Heimla tilted her head in confusion, "Your Highness? I do not understand. Are you saying you want these children in Lothos? Why?"

 **"Because I still owe the Arc family more than I could ever repay, and bringing young Jaune's friends here to answer their questions will be my way to honor the boy. Besides, after the boy's passing, the sword chose the one who would bring more honor to the boy with the blade than anyone else. If I cannot honor the boy by wielding the sword, then at least I can honor him with giving his friends some closure."**

"And when they see you-" once again, Heimla paused and groaned at her near slip-up, "operative? You know what that could do to them all."

Her ruler nodded, **"I know, but perhaps the pain it will bring upon them will teach them that the only way to truly stop the pain is to face it head-on."**

Heimla's eyes narrowed at the choice of words from her leader, "Your Highness, when you appointed me this position, you told me to be a friend when need be and not just a servant. With that in mind, do I have your permission to speak in a free nature?"

 **"You may."**

"Perhaps you should follow those words yourself."

The silence that followed the words was so tense it would have been difficult to cut through the tension without an axe, **"Speed up their journey, summon me when they find the gateway, and assist me in bringing them to the palace, discreetly. We both are aware of the consequences if the word had gotten out that people of Remnant have been brought not only to Lothos but the Royal Palace as well. Understood?"**

Heimla's eyes were still narrowed, but the closed shut when her head moved to the floor, "Shall be done, Your Majesty."

Without another word, the Lothonian ruler turned back to the doors, which closed on a melancholy Royal Seer sighing in defeat and sorrow for her hurting ruler.

* * *

Mass confusion presided in the minds of the Beacon students as they rushed through the halls of the ship, heading for the deck. Three days earlier, they heard that it would take another week until they reached Gravegate, and now, just after a mere three days, the captain announces they're only miles away from their destination. That confusion grew even more once they reached the deck and saw the captain was right. Off in the distance, they could see an island with a fog-covered mountain, surrounded by green treetops, and its shores surrounded by what looked like a graveyard of shipwrecks.

The heiress let out a shaky breath as a chill ran up her spine, "Hearing was one thing, but seeing this place in person, even at this distance, Gravegate truly lives up to the name it was given."

Ruby slowly nodded, her wide silver eyes not leaving the distant island, "You can say that again partner."

Oscar was about to say something, but he stopped himself as he heard the ancient wizard in his head, **_'We should not be here by now. Something else is at work here, making our voyage shorter.'_**

"Captain!" Oscar called out to the veteran sailor, "I thought we weren't supposed to get here for another week! How did we get here so fast?"

"Honestly, I don't know son." the captain called back, "It was almost as if the waves had calmed to a standstill, but the ocean current changed and went with the ship. It looks like we were just lucky enough to find the right spot for us to sail through."

 ** _'I don't believe that luck was involved in cutting our journey short. Don't you feel it, Oscar? There is something in the air around us, not any scent, but a kind of invisible energy. You do feel it, don't you?'_**

 _'Yeah, I do. What is it?'_

 ** _'Magic. A powerful form of magic. More powerful than anything I can do anymore. It would seem that while the one who took Crocea Mors did not want us following him, someone else from Lothos does. Someone powerful.'_**

 _'Oh man… you think that could be a good thing though?'_

 ** _'... Nothing about Lothos is a good thing to me…'_**

"Oscar?" the young farm boy looked up to find the emerald eyes of his spartan partner, "Is everything alright? Is there something we should know? Something Ozpin wants to share?"

He thought on it for a bit, but it didn't take long for Oscar to decide to tell her, "Ozpin and I are both sensing something around us. We're pretty sure that someone with powerful magic is getting us to Gravegate earlier than we should be."

"FINE WITH ME!" the bombastic hammer-wielder appeared out of nowhere, making her two teammates jump back and scream in shock, "Just means we get to break some legs sooner!"

Pyrrha just laughed and giggled at her teammate's antics while Oscar covered his heart as he tried to get his breathing under control, "How is it that someone who's the equivalent of a human grenade capable of being stealthy enough for sneak attacks like that?!"

Nora giggled playfully as she took a single step and was face to face with Oscar, "Sorry, Little-Cute-Boy-Ozpin. Trade secret."

If the color of Oscar's face decided his name, it would be Oscar Wine, "N-Nora, please stop calling me that… er… us? That?"

 ** _'If you want to get into the technicality of it, I believe that was directed towards you, but myself as well since I'm still residing in your mind. Just remember that eventually, I will fade away, and it will just be you with my memories, then at least you won't be confused as to who miss Valkyrie is teasing.'_**

"Okay Nora, that's enough." Ruby put herself between the wildcard and the boy with two souls, "Oscar, should we be worried?"

The boy shrugged, "I mean, I don't think we need to be worried, we just need to be even more careful. Whoever took Crocea Mors didn't want us following him to Lothos, now we find ourselves being guided by magic to our closest clue on how to get there. It looks like there could be some conflict of interest in Lothos, so we should be cautious when we find a way there."

Ruby nodded as she clasped both of her hands onto one of Oscar's, "And Oscar? If Ozpin starts to lose control of himself or anything like that, don't worry. I have faith in you, and I know you can calm him down and take control yourself."

"I…" the young farm boy couldn't find any words, so he looked down, put his other hand on Ruby's, and looked back into her eyes, "Thank you, Ruby."

It was at that moment, they both realized just how close they were and blushed red as tomatoes, but luckily for them, the captain brought his presence back before the rest of the teens could tease the two team leaders, "Alright, this is as far as I can take you. You'll have to take a rowboat or two to navigate through the shipwrecks."

All of the young hunters looked back to the island, finding they were close enough to see some of the black shores past the mass of shipwrecks. They could see passageways of water between the corpses of wood and metal, only able to fit boats far smaller than the ship they were on. Following the captain, they were led to the back of the vessel, where they took two rowboats and placed them in the water.

Team RWBY climbed into their rowboat, but Oscar paused before he could join his team and turned back to the captain, "Captain, I know this isn't exactly a place that you would want to bring people to, but you did anyway, and we are very grateful. How much do we owe you for bringing us here?"

The jolly sailor laughed and waved his hand in refusal, "Nah, you don't owe me a thing. I remember what you and your friends told me, that you were chasin' someone that stole from you, and I'm just glad you let me help you out. Although, I just want to know one thing, how exactly are you hoping to get back to Vale once you're done?"

Oscar smiled, "Another friend of ours will be rounding up a force of huntsmen and huntresses we know, and they will be waiting for word from us off the coast of Anima. You won't have to come back for us, just keep avoiding this place like other sailors."

"I dunno." the bearded man shook his head, "Just doesn't sit right with me, leaving good people in such a dark and ominous place."

"You have my word. We're all taken care of with our return journey. Just go on doing what you've been doing, and stay safe."

The young farm boy and the old sailor shared the same smile and the same firm handshake, "Alright kid, you got it. You just take care of yourself okay?"

With that, Oscar nodded in confirmation and joined the rest of his team in their rowboat, and both teams began rowing through the water trenches towards the black beaches that awaited them. Since the passageways were so small, one boat went ahead while the other stayed close behind, rowing together like a two-boat convoy. Before they got onto the boats, they all decided it best for OLVN to go first, since Oscar's apparent seasickness would make them have to go slow and careful. The boy may not have appreciated it or been enthusiastic about it, but he had no choice except to repeat "it makes sense" and "makes us slower, makes us careful" in his head while he once again released his breakfast into the water.

"Poor Oscar…" Blake sighed as she shook her head in sympathy, "I guess it wouldn't seem normal if we didn't have a friend that had some sort of inconvenient sickness."

"Yeah, I guess so…" the blonde brawler drawled before a devious smirk appeared, "I guess you could say we'll never be sick of _sea_ -ing vomit."

If their team leader wasn't already groaning as loud as a truck, the rest of team OLVN would have heard a collective groan from behind them, "DAMMIT YANG!"

They did, however, manage to hear a high-pitched shout, followed by a collective gasp from three deeper voices, which Nora just shook her head at, "Seriously? She's seventeen years old now, of course, she's gonna get to that rebellious-word-shouting-phase."

Oscar wiped his mouth of all remaining vomit and washed his hand off in the water before turning to his thunderous teammate, "I don't know what's more unbelievable, the fact that you said something sisterly, or the fact you think it's a phase. I mean, no offense Nora, but I don't think you went through that phase, but just made your life that whole phase."

"True~." Nora playfully giggled at her leader's remark.

Five minutes of rowing passed before Oscar managed to keep his apparent seasickness under control, and not a moment too soon, the two teams beached together. To be on the safe side, they decided to pull their boats past the water line and into the foliage, but once they got to the treeline, they noticed something peculiar, "Nothing."

It was only one word, but everyone knew what Ren meant: that there was absolutely no sound coming from the forest. It was as if the only living things on the island were the students and the trees, but not even they made a sound with the lack of wind blowing through the branches. The only sounds on the entire beach were the sounds of the small waves racing up the black sand. It was unnatural. It was unsettling.

"We're going to have to go through the forest," Oscar motioned towards the muted trees, where a thick line of cut branches laid out, "there's a trail here, so we're lucky with that at least."

 ** _'You feel that Oscar? This whole island is drowning in magic. That must mean only one thing.'_**

 _'Our way to get to Lothos is here, isn't it?'_

 ** _'It's the only explanation.'_**

"Alright, listen up!" Oscar looked around until he found a large rock next to the trail, "It looks like this island is exactly where we want to be. There is far too much magic here for the island to be anything other than our entrance to Lothos. Remember though, while the guy who took Crocea Mors didn't want us following him, the ghostly presence from back on the boat proved that someone else skilled in magic did want us here. Be on guard, stay close, and don't stray from the group. We'll follow this trail to wherever it leads, then we'll figure out what to do from there."

The teens smiled at their youngest friend, their newest leader, taking his own action and standing tall, "Now then, let's go get our sword back!"

"YEAH!" with that declaration, Oscar got one in return from Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha, while the two ninjas and the heiress smiled brightly.

* * *

While Oscar's little speech managed to brighten the spirits of the hunters, they were darkened rather quickly as they walked through the forest, following the trail of branches on the ground and hanging off trees by a thread. For ten minutes, they walked through the forest, and not a single sound entered their ears other than their own footsteps: not a single buzzing fly, not a single roaring predator, not even one growling Grimm, only the lonely sounds of eight pairs of feet walking down a trail of fallen branches. If they were honest, the silence was more offsetting to the teen hunters than the prospect of Grimm packs, what they can predict.

 _'Ozpin? What kind of magic could be able to silence an entire forest? I mean, this place just feels… wrong.'_

 ** _'I'm sorry Oscar, but it has been just too long since I've been in a place of magic. It's even entirely possible that there have been new forms of magic discovered since I was exiled from Lothos. However, I understand what you mean, the magic presence here feels… conflicted.'_**

Conflicted. For whatever reason that neither Oscar nor Ozpin could explain, the word felt so fitting for the atmosphere they found themselves in that they began to think that perhaps that wasn't just what awaited them, but what they might see themselves thrown into. They started thinking that there was a conflict in the fifth kingdom, and, knowing their luck, they were going to find themselves right in the middle of it. Oscar, however, thought it best to get more information than a feeling in the air before he threw the idea out to the rest of his comrades, so they continued in a mixture of contemplative and careful silence.

The silence didn't last long, however, as after only a few more steps after Oscar and Ozpin's little discussion, the hunters found themselves at the foot of the mountain, where sound returned to their hearing in the form of tumbling rocks. That wasn't the only sound, however, as they looked up to see flashes of light speeding through the clouds atop the mountain, with thunder drumming along soon after each burst. "We're going to have to climb the mountain, aren't we?"

"Yep." Ruby answered her partner's question automatically, emphasizing the "p".

Wasting no more time, they began to climb up the mountain together, but in pairs rather than on their own. The first pair was Ren and Blake, who were the most skilled in parkour, and used those skills to go ahead and make notes of any loose rocks that could slow the rest down. Following the two ninjas were Oscar and Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss, and finally Yang and Nora, who all went up the face of the mountain more slowly than the first pair. Whenever they heard another clap of thunder, they all froze in place, waiting for a signal from the first pair. As they all stopped for what felt like the tenth time, Pyrrha looked at her partner with slight agitation, "What exactly should we be looking for on this mountain?"

Oscar shrugged, but he also responded vocally, "I'm not sure. My guess is it'll probably be some doorway or opening, or maybe we won't find anything on the mountain, and we'll have to climb to the top."

Pyrrha's frustration in her eyes gave way to concern and worry at Oscar's guess, "But didn't the captain say this mountain is a volcano?"

He nodded but kept the fear in his eyes hidden behind seriousness, "He did, but we are dealing with people who can use magic here. What's to say there isn't a form of magic that created an island in the center of the volcano's opening and that our only way to Lothos will be there? As far as I'm concerned, anything that we could imagine, we could be dealing with, because that form of thought comes with the idea of magic."

"Fair point. Well then, let's get back to-"

"HOLD IT!"

Neither the spartan nor the farm boy was surprised that if anyone was going to shout in the form of a whisper, it was their beloved hammer-wielding teammate, "Sorry, but Ren and Blake just found an opening further up the volcano, looks like a tunnel. They're just waiting on everyone else."

With that, Nora went back to climbing to the tunnel, while Oscar shook his head, "You know, if I hadn't gotten to know Nora the way I have these past few years, I'd ask how she was able to climb ahead of us, but…"

Pyrrha giggled as she finished her young leader's thoughts, "But now, you know it's just Nora, and there is no real ability to question it."

"Yeah…"

The two partners shared a chuckle before they began climbing again and eventually reached the opening, with Blake and Ren standing next to both sides of the doorway. Once everyone else had managed to get to the passageway, they cautiously began walking through the tunnel, their path becoming darker with each step they took. Eventually, they found themselves at a point where they couldn't even see two feet in front of them, and they ceased moving completely. Slowly, Oscar raised his cane and slammed it down in front of him, the sound of the impact reverberating in the darkness and signaling that they had reached the end of the tunnel and found themselves in some chamber.

"I can't see anything!" Ruby whined, "I'd reach for my scroll to turn on the flashlight, but I can't even see my pockets!"

 ** _'Oscar, listen carefully, I believe I know how you can make your surroundings visible, but you're going to have to use magic.'_**

 _'Seriously?! I can use magic?!'_

 ** _'Well, you are carrying my soul, along with my ability to use magic, so yes. Yes, you can. You need to clear your mind, and say a command.'_**

"Wait." Oscar's voice paused the rest of the young hunters as they listened to him take a deep breath and release a sudden roar,

"KENAZ!"

The command reverberated through the darkness until it all faded away once again, and a chamber made of stone took its place. The first thing they all noticed was the lava that surrounded them, both in the mote below and trailing down the walls, didn't magically appear, but instead magically lit up. Then they all looked towards the center of the room and saw the Obsidian Obelisk, and not a single word passed through their minds, nor their lips. Oscar, on the other hand, grew a confident smirk and turned back to his friends, "Guys, I think we've found our gateway."

"What? What do you mean? And what was that Oscar?"

"Ozpin says that that Obelisk right there is a powerful travel stone that's capable of taking us to Lothos. As for what I did, I just shouted out the magic command for 'fire' and the power in this chamber activated. Just like he said, this place is a chamber with magic power, and it just needed the right spell from someone gifted with magic for it to awaken."

For the second time in less than a minute, the hunters were rendered dumbfounded and speechless, which made Oscar's smirk grow even more significant, "Well come on! Let's go!"

 ** _'STOP!'_**

Ozpin's scream was so loud in Oscar's mind that his head throbbed with pain and he brought his hands up to hold it as he collapsed to his knees, "AGH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

 ** _'Oscar, I know using magic for the first time is an empowering experience, but don't let it go to your head. We're still in uncharted territory, and it being Lothos territory makes it more treacherous. Now listen here: I do not want to set foot back in that hypocritical land, nor do I even want to think about it, but even though I may not be ready or willing to go there, your team wants nothing more than to go and reclaim their last reminder of mister Arc. For their sake, be careful, and if I lose control of myself and take over for whatever reason, do whatever you must to take back control.'_**

The once-farm boy did not like the sound of that request, _'What do you mean "whatever I must do"?! What could that cost?!'_

"OSCAR?!"

Brought out of his mindscape, the young boy opened his eyes to find two distressed silver orbs frisking him, "Oscar! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

"I…" what could he say? "I'm okay, Ruby. Ozpin just blurted something I got startled, and it sent my head out of control for a second."

"Well, what did he tell you?" Blake walked forward and knelt to take a good look, her enhanced Faunus senses combing the boy to make sure he was really alright.

"He just told me not to get over-confident with my new gift of using magic, and keep a level head." the looks on his friends' faces practically telegraphed their suspicion, "And… he also mentioned that since the memories of Lothos are so painful for him that he thought it best to let me have control for the entirety of the mission. In case he might lose control of himself."

It may not have been precisely what the ancient wizard said, but Oscar knew if the old man was told or asked that, he wouldn't deny it, and it was that knowledge that convinced them to drop it, "Makes sense. If either you or even Ozpin need any help with staying in control, you'll let us know."

By his partner's tone of voice, it was not a request; it was an order, one he accepted with gratitude, "I will Pyrrha. I promise."

Satisfied, the red-headed spartan smiled and held out her hand for her leader to grab, "Well then, let's take a look at the-"

Suddenly, the chamber began to shake violently like a ship sailing through the middle of a violent storm, the mote of lava below starting to bubble as if the volcano was about to erupt. The hunters were all caught off guard, leaning from one direction to another to keep themselves from falling off the stone island and into the river of liquid fire. As the tremors were getting worse, both Ruby and Oscar shook out of their panic and went into their leader modes, "EVERYONE! TO THE OBELISK!"

Following the two leaders, the rest huddled around the Obsidian Obelisk, not wanting to lose their only way to Crocea Mors before they could even get to the other plane. Though it seemed they might not have needed to worry as much as they thought. As soon as Oscar put his hands on the Obelisk, his brown eyes widened before they lost all color and turned white as snow. When Ruby turned to him, she immediately noticed that something was wrong, but no matter how loud she screamed his name, he wouldn't respond. However, it was not because the shaking and trembling of the ground beneath them were too loud, it was because a voice was blocking out all of the outside world, and taking all presence in his mind.

And it was not Ozpin.

 ** _'You seek answers? Then you will find them, but only if you are prepared for what toll they will take on you all. However, if you continue on this path, look for the spire where the sun reaches tomorrow.'_**

Even if he could ask the voice what it meant, Oscar hadn't the time, as without even a word, he and the rest of the young hunters were absorbed by the Obelisk, their panicked voices drowned out by the rumbling ground. Soon enough, all traces of the Beacon students were gone, and the Obelisk pulsed with energy as its carvings glowed blue before it released the power, not only bringing back the darkness but calming the unstable ground. Meanwhile, each one of the hunters found themselves flying through a bright tunnel alone, the walls of light fluctuating and shining every single color in existence like a rainbow bridge. They had no control over their body, and all they could do was look up towards the end of the tunnel and scream in distress. Nearly upon the blinding light, they all shut their eyes and braced themselves for any impact… only for seven pairs of eyes to open and find themselves… somewhere else.

* * *

 **A/N's: "In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again." - Lewis Carroll**

 **It's finally time! Goodbye Remnant, HELLO LOTHOS! If you weren't already enjoying yourselves and this story, I can assure you, this is where the fun begins. While planning this story, I debated whether or not to make their arrival in Lothos occur later on or to make it as early as possible. In the end, I chose to make it as early as possible, as the true story is not what happens in Remnant, but in Lothos. Also, am I being cruel with all of these secrets I'm keeping and teasing you with?**

 **What really happened the night that Jaune died? Who exactly is the one that took Crocea Mors, and what is his connection to the ruler of Lothos? What consequences that the ruler mentioned could happen if RWBY and OLVN are seen in Lothos? How does the ruler know the Arc family, and what do they mean when they say that they owe the Arc family more than they could ever repay? Why does the Royal Seer tell her ruler that they should listen to their own advice? And was the other voice in Oscar's head Heimla or someone else?**

 **I'll leave that to you to figure out or guess. However, I promise, most if not all will be revealed in due time. Anyways, special thanks to SunWukongMogar for being my beta reader with each step of this thing. Be sure to check him out after you leave some comments, suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. Just let me know what you think of the story in the reviews, maybe even take some guesses on what might come. It's always welcome!**

 **Misc. Notes:**

 **The Royal Seer's name, Heimla, is based on the name of Heimdall, the Aesir god who sees all in Norse Mythology.**

 **Since this is a MAJOR AU, I'm making it that Ozpin will fade away eventually, but Oscar will be left with all of his memories and his ability to use magic.**

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 **Well then, 'til next time!**


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